Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1995 c. 43 |
| Year | 1995 |
Proceeds of Crime (Scotland)Act 1995
1995 CHAPTER 43
An Act to consolidate as regards Scotland certain enactments relating to the confiscation of the proceeds of, and forfeiture of property used in, crime.
[8th November 1995]
B e it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
PART I
Confiscation of the Proceeds of Crime
Confiscation orders
1 General provision.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part, where in respect of any offence to which this Part applies—
(a) the accused is convicted, whether in solemn or summary proceedings; or
(b) in the case of summary proceedings (without proceeding to conviction) an order is made discharging him absolutely,
the court, on the application of the prosecutor, may make an order (a ‘confiscation order’) requiring the accused to pay such sum as the court thinks fit.
(2) This Part applies to any offence which has been prosecuted—
(a) on indictment; or
(b) on summary complaint if the offence is punishable by a fine of an amount greater than the amount corresponding to level 5 on the standard scale or by imprisonment for a period longer than 3 months or by both such fine and imprisonment,
but it does not apply to an offence under Part III of the 1989 Act (financial assistance for terrorism).
(3) A confiscation order shall not be made unless the court orders some other disposal (including an absolute discharge) in respect of the accused.
(4) Except where the offence is a drug trafficking offence, the court may make a confiscation order against an accused only if it is satisfied that he has benefited from the commission of the offence concerned.
(5) The sum which a confiscation order requires an accused to pay in the case of a drug trafficking offence shall be an amount not exceeding—
(a) subject to paragraph (b) below, what the court assesses to be the value of the proceeds of the person's drug trafficking; or
(b) if the court is satisfied that the amount that might be realised in terms of this Act at the time the confiscation order is made has a value less than that of the proceeds of the person's drug trafficking, what it assesses to be that amount.
(6) The sum which a confiscation order requires an accused to pay in the case of an offence not mentioned in subsection (5) above, must not exceed the lesser of—
(a) the amount of the benefit—
(i) from the commission of the offence; or
(ii) where section 2(4) of this Act applies, from the commission of the offence and any other offence, not being a drug trafficking offence, to which this Part of this Act applies; and
(b) the amount that might be realised at the time the order is made.
(7) Any application under this section shall be made—
(a) in proceedings on indictment, when the prosecutor moves for sentence or, if the accused is remitted for sentence under section 195 of the 1995 Act, before sentence is pronounced; and
(b) in summary proceedings, following the conviction of the accused.
(8) For the purposes of any appeal or review, a confiscation order is a sentence.
2 Benefit from commission of offence.
(1) For the purposes of this Part of this Act, an accused shall be held to have benefited from the commission of an offence if in connection with its commission he has obtained, directly or indirectly, any property or other economic advantage.
(2) Subject to subsection (4) below, in determining whether an accused has benefited from the commission of an offence and, if he has, the amount referred to in section 1(6)(a)(i) of this Act, the court may make the following assumptions, except in so far as he proves either of them, on the balance of probabilities, to be incorrect—
(a) that any property or other economic advantage which has been obtained by him since the relevant date has been obtained in connection with the commission of the offence; and
(b) that any expenditure by him since the relevant date was met out of property or other economic advantage obtained in connection with the commission of the offence.
(3) In subsection (2) above ‘the relevant date’ means—
(a) the date of the offence; or
(b) if the offence is found to have been committed over a period of time, the date occurring at the beginning of that period.
(4) Where—
(a) the application for the confiscation order has been made in respect of two or more offences; or
(b) during the relevant period the accused has been convicted of at least one other offence to which this Part of this Act applies,,
the court may, in determining the amount referred to in section 1(6)(a)(ii) of this Act, make the assumptions set out in subsection (5) below, except in so far as the accused proves either of those assumptions, on the balance of probabilities, to be incorrect.
(5) Those assumptions are—
(a) that any property or economic advantage which has been obtained by the accused during the relevant period has been obtained in connection with the commission of an offence to which this Part of this Act applies; and
(b) that any expenditure by him during the relevant period was met out of property or other economic advantage obtained in connection with the commission of such an offence.
(6) In subsections (4) and (5) above, ‘the relevant period’ means the period of six years ending with the date on which proceedings were instituted against the accused for the offence in respect of which the application for the confiscation order has been made.
(7) In this Act, ‘property’ means any property wherever situated, whether heritable or moveable or whether corporeal or incorporeal.
3 Assessing the proceeds of drug trafficking.
(1) For the purposes of this Act—
(a) any payments or other rewards received by a person at any time (whether before or after the commencement of this Act) in connection with drug trafficking carried on by him or another are his proceeds of drug trafficking, and
(b) the value of his proceeds of drug trafficking is the aggregate of the values of the payments or other rewards.
(2) Without prejudice to section 9 of this Act the court may, in making an assessment as regards a person under section 1(5) of this Act, make the following assumptions, except in so far as any of them may be shown to be incorrect in that person's case—
(a) that any property appearing to the court—
(i) to have been held by him at any time since his conviction; or, as the case may be,
(ii) to have been transferred to him at any time since a date six years before his being indicted, or being served with the complaint,
was received by him, at the earliest time at which he appears to the court to have held it, as a payment or reward in connection with drug trafficking carried on by him;
(b) that any expenditure of his since the date mentioned in paragraph (a)(ii) above was met out of payments received by him in connection with drug trafficking carried on by him, and
(c) that, for the purpose of valuing any property received or assumed to have been received by him at any time as such a reward, he received the property free of any other interests in it.
(3) Subsection (2) above does not apply if the only offence by virtue of which the assessment is being made is an offence under section 14 of the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990 or section 37 or 38 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 .
(4) The court shall, in making an assessment as regards a person under section 1(5) of this Act, leave out of account any of his proceeds of drug trafficking that are shown to the court to have been taken into account in a case where a confiscation order (whether under this Act or under and within the meaning of—
(a) section 2 of the 1994 Act; or
(b) any corresponding provision in Northern Ireland),
has previously been made against him.
4 Realisable property.
(1) In this Act ‘realisable property’ means, subject to subsection (2) below—
(a) the whole estate wherever situated of a person—
(i) against whom proceedings have been instituted for an offence to which this Part of this Act applies; or
(ii) in respect of whom a restraint order has been made by virtue of section 29(3) of this Act;
(b) the whole estate wherever situated of a person to whom any person whose whole estate is realisable by virtue of paragraph (a) above has (directly or indirectly and whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions) made a gift caught by this Part of this Act or, as the case may be, an implicative gift;
(c) any other property in the possession or under the control of a person mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) above; and
(d) any income or estate...
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