Category: Asset Recovery
The new Criminal Finances Bill setting out new anti-money laundering powers has had its first reading
On 13 October 2016 the Criminal Finances Bill (the “Bill”) had its first reading in the House of Commons. In addition to introducing Unexplained Wealth Orders (described in our blog below), the Bill sets out a number of new anti-money laundering powers. The Bill will: enable the seizure and forfeiture […]
New crime bill to introduce Unexplained Wealth Orders
The Government is due to publish a new proceeds of crime bill tomorrow, which will introduce Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs), as reported in The Times (paywall). UWOs would allow the police to apply for an order to require individuals to explain their source of wealth where it exceeds their lawful income. […]
Backwards Tracing takes a step forward
The Privy Council recently extended the availability of ‘tracing’ in a novel way to increase the options available to states seeking to recover stolen property. Before this decision a state could only trace property that had been altered, say by sale or transfer, into the proceeds of that alteration if those proceeds did not exist […]
What states should know about breach of fiduciary duty
This week’s tip-sheet covers claims for breach of fiduciary duty which can be brought against public officials who have been involved in conduct contrary to their duty to act in the state’s best interests. We detail potential defendants and explain the principles that need to be established at court (and […]
What states should know about dishonest assistance
This week’s tip-sheet covers claims for dishonest assistance, which is a claim that can be used to sue third parties who participated in wrongdoing but did not receive the benefit of it. We detail potential defendants and explain the principles that need to be established at court (and those that do […]
Introducing illicit enrichment in the UK: a proposal by Transparency International UK
Too often, for a variety of reasons, law enforcement agencies are unable to take meaningful action against assets suspected to be corrupt. That might be, for example, because the state that has suffered corruption is unable or unwilling to provide supporting information to UK law enforcement in time for action […]
What states should know about unlawful means conspiracy
The latest entry in our tip-sheet series deals with unlawful means conspiracy. This claim is useful where multiple parties have been involved in a scheme to corruptly defraud a state. We set out the circumstances when it may arrive and explain what you need to establish when bringing the claim. […]
Asset Recovery tip-sheets
Following the successful launch of our asset recovery blog, we will be publishing a series of tip-sheets on the various types of civil claim that can be made to recover corrupt assets, or compensation for corruption, as well as on key procedural issues that matter in these cases. The tip-sheets […]
Using insolvency powers to make claims for fraud: important Supreme Court decision
Companies are habitually used as part of a corruption scheme. Such companies often have only a single director, or a small number of directors, and are beneficially owned by the wrong-doers. Insolvency powers can be effective tools to obtain compensation for victims of fraud or corruption, in the right circumstances. […]
Privy Council Clarifies When Innocent Bank is Liable to Victims of Theft
To what extent must a bank make inquiries as to the commercial purpose of a transaction, particularly a transaction involving an offshore structure? And when is a bank liable to compensate a victim of theft for receiving funds deriving from stolen assets and using them for its own benefit? These […]