Freezing of Assets
(asked on 28th March 2018) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what their freeze and seize programme consists of; when it will be implemented; how; and which Government department will lead on delivery of that programme.
Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is committed to ensuring that enforcement agencies have the necessary tools available to effectively seize and freeze the financial assets of criminals and terrorists.
To this end the Government brought in the Criminal Finances Act 2017 (CFA) which amended the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). The CFA provided for the freezing and forfeiture (including administrative forfeiture, without the need for a court order) of terrorist property held in bank accounts, and introduced unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) which allow the seizure/freezing and forfeiture of funds and property over £50,000 where it is believed the owner is involved in serious crime.
The bulk of the secondary legislation implementing the CFA came into force on 31 January 2018. The Home Office are responsible for the legislative implementation of these powers, which are used by enforcement agencies.