Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service News Release

3 June 2010

SCOTTISH COMMUNITIES TO BENEFIT FROM £5.5 MILLION

RECOVERED FROM SERIOUS AND ORGANISED CRIME

More than £5.5 million was recovered for Scottish communities using Proceeds of Crime legislation in the past year, the Lord Advocate, the Right Honourable Elish Angiolini QC, announced today.

The money recovered by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Civil Recovery Unit brings the total secured since the commencement of the legislation in 2003 to nearly £33 million.

For the seventh year running, the Civil Recovery Unit increased the amount recovered in one year, with more than £3.2 million seized.

During the same period, prosecutors secured confiscation orders worth almost £2.3 million against convicted drug dealers, money launderers and fraudsters.

Announcing this year's POCA figures, the Lord Advocate said:

"These latest figures demonstrate that those who seek to profit from crime run a serious risk of having their assets seized by the courts.

"Our message is clear. These figures should be a warning that even if they have escaped justice to date, that we will be relentless in pursuing the fruits of their criminal activity - even beyond the grave. As our work and expertise continues to develop in this field more will be caught and prosecuted and those engaged in organised crime will at some point, lose the material or financial benefits gained through their crimes.."

Lesley Thomson, Area Procurator Fiscal for Glasgow, and the COPFS POCA Champion said:

"The public rightly expects us to ensure that criminals and their families will not benefit from crime. The Proceeds of Crime Act gives us the tools we need to recover their unlawfully obtained cash and assets and we will use the Act to its' full extent. Not only will we seek to recover their assets but we will disrupt their activities, prevent them reinvesting their profits, and wherever possible make it very difficult for them to carry out their criminal enterprises."

Ends

Notes to editors:

1.The total amount secured through the Proceeds of Crime Act in the 12 month period from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 is £5,510,557.77* which is made up of £2,285,011 from criminals convicted of relevant offences and £3,225,546.77 from cash forfeitures and asset recovery orders granted by the civil courts. Further details are provided in the tables below.

*These figures do not include the recent £6.6 million CRU seizure from Moscow-based businessman Anatoly Kazachkov. That amount will be included in 2010/11 figures.

2.The total secured since commencement of the Act in March 2003 and 31 March 2010 is £32,886,648.77. This consists of £19,376,612 from the National Casework Division and £13,510,036.85 from the Civil Recovery Unit.

a.The National Casework Division deals with the confiscation of proceeds of crime following conviction and secures money from convicted criminals, eg those who have been convicted of drug dealing, money laundering, or fraud.

b.The Civil Recovery Unit investigates and recovers the proceeds of crime through the civil courts without the need for criminal conviction.

3.Proceeds of Crime Figures are prepared in advance of each quarterly meeting of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce which brings together the Lord Advocate, ACPOS, the SCDEA, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Government.

4.Money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act, up to a maximum of £30m a year, is invested by Scottish Ministers in community projects aimed at alleviating the effects of crime. If more than £30m is recovered in any financial year the balance is sent to the UK Treasury.

5.The National Casework Division and Civil Recovery units work with colleagues at the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency, UK Police Forces and HM Revenue and Customs to identify and recover the proceeds of crime.

6. Breakdown of Figures - National Casework Division:

Note: The years are financial years (1 April to 31 March)

Regional case studies are available upon request from Crown Office Communications.

Contact: Communications 0844 561 3984 or

Communications@copfs.gsi.gov.uk

Internet:
www.copfs.gov.uk