Odaily reported that the China Prosecutors WeChat account published an article titled “Foreign-Related Case Study | Key Points for Obtaining Cross-Border Electronic Evidence in Virtual Currency Money-Laundering Crimes.” The article focuses on how electronic evidence should be collected in cases involving virtual currency money laundering, especially where cross-border evidence is involved.
According to the article, when handling virtual currency money-laundering cases, investigators should use virtual currency wallet addresses as the point of entry. On that basis, blockchain technology can be used to analyze the characteristics of on-chain data and the path of fund flows. The article states that this approach can help identify money-laundering conduct carried out through virtual currencies and support more precise enforcement against such activity.
The article places wallet addresses at the center of the evidence-gathering process. By working from a wallet address, investigators can examine the relationship among on-chain addresses, review transaction links, and trace how funds move through the blockchain. These steps allow virtual currency transactions to be brought into the scope of evidentiary review and connected with the facts of a money-laundering case.
In terms of proof, the article proposes focusing on two core elements: identity relevance and transaction relevance. Identity relevance is used to establish the connection between a specific wallet address, an account and a natural person. Transaction relevance is used to show the movement of funds across on-chain addresses and related platforms. Taken together, the two elements help build an evidentiary structure for proving virtual currency money-laundering crimes.
For foreign-related cases, the article proposes an evidence collection model described as “domestic evidence collection as the foundation, cross-border evidence collection as reinforcement.” It also calls for clarifying the applicable boundaries between unilateral evidence collection and bilateral judicial assistance. Under this model, investigators first collect evidence that can be obtained domestically, and then supplement the record through cross-border evidence collection when the case requires it, with the aim of improving the efficiency of cross-border electronic evidence gathering.
The article also addresses third-party entities such as exchanges, wallet service providers and payment channels. It recommends creating an “element-based” standard for requesting information from these parties. The key materials to be obtained include KYC information and change records, login logs, device and IP information, two-factor authentication records, deposit and withdrawal records, on-chain addresses, transaction hashes, and risk-control and freezing records. The article says these data points can be used to establish the relationship among “address, account and natural person,” providing support for identity confirmation and transaction reconstruction in virtual currency money-laundering cases.