Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unexplained wealth orders have been approved since 31 January.

Two Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) have been applied for and granted in relation to assets totalling £22 million. In addition to the UWOs, the courts granted interim freezing orders (IFOs), meaning that the assets cannot be sold, transferred or dissipated while subject to the IFO.

Unexplained wealth orders are an important addition to existing investigation powers; they compel individuals to explain the sources of their wealth where it is suspected that their lawful income would be insufficient to obtain specified property, if they are a non-EEA politically exposed person, or suspected of being involved in serious crime.