In many circumstances transferring gold between certain entities would be illegal under money laundering and other anti-corruption laws. But there is no law about how documents are to be transferred. If my lawyer were to send a questionnaire to a witness, and he happened to only have on hand these one ounce, 24 carat paperclips there's no law against him using them. Even more than one if there were multiple bundles of paper.
-- Voice, Mar 17 2020

//illegal under money laundering and other anti-corruption laws//

My guess is that the laws are framed so as to also cover this kind of "accidental" transfer of funds.
-- pocmloc, Mar 17 2020


Which problem are trying to solve here?

(a) how not to get caught, or

(b) how not to get convicted if caught?

It might be modestly effective for (a), but not at all effective for (b).

The relevant U.S. law would include the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (which can be applied to actions committed outside U.S. jurisdiction, so you can ignore it only if you do no business and have no assets in the U.S.). See also the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010.
-- pertinax, Mar 18 2020


24-ct Gold might be too ductile for paperclip use
-- hippo, Mar 18 2020


ha, a gold-nitinol wire paper clip that when heated forms a cute little gold (nitinol infused) ingot.
-- wjt, Mar 19 2020



random, halfbakery