Cette interrogation est d'autant plus impérieuse qu'il est difficile, au moins pour le man
dant, de distinguer dans tel cas particulier les prestations financières fournies par u
n avocat au sens du descriptif figurant à l'article 2, paragraphe 1, point 3, b), et le conseil juridique privilégié. Aussi est-il tout à fait contestable que la préservation du secret professionnel soit laissée à l'appréciation des États membres, au lieu d'être prescrite obliga
...[+++]toirement.The extension of the requirements laid down in the money laundering directive to cover lawyers as a matter of principle has given rise to doubts as to whether the complete confidentiality of the information communicated to a lawyer is sti
ll guaranteed. This question is all the more relevant because in individual cases a client at least may find it difficult to draw a distinction between a lawyer's financial service-related activities, pursuant to the list in Article 2(1)(3)(b), and the act of providing legal advice, which is covered by lawyer-client privilege. Under these circumstances, it is particularly worrying that the protection of
...[+++]professional confidentiality should not be a binding requirement, but has instead been left to the discretion of the Member States.
