The European Court of Justice (ECJ) this week rejected a challenge to the Second Money Laundering Directive.


Bar associations in Belgium claimed that the imposition of reporting obligations on lawyers was an unjustified infringement of the right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights.



But the ECJ ruled that the obligations applied to lawyers advising on transactions of a financial nature or concerning real estate - activities with no link to judicial proceedings. They therefore fall outside the scope of the right to a fair trial.



Colin Tyre QC, president of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, said: 'I am disappointed. The ruling has given a narrow interpretation to the right to a fair trial and has left a number of other issues unanswered.'