The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) concluded the consultation on its application for powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) on 6 December 2019 (PL&B UK November 2019, p.7). This public consultation is likely to form part of the Law Commission’s review of the POCA, which serves to optimise the process of confiscation on a government-wide basis, releasing its findings in a consultation paper in “early 2020.”(1)

The powers the Information Commissioner is seeking include:

• To apply to the court for Restraint Orders (under Part 2 of POCA);
• To apply to the court for Confiscation Orders (under Part 2 of POCA);
• Cash seizure, detention and forfeiture from premises (under Part 5, Chapter 3 of POCA);
• Asset seizure and forfeiture from premises (under Part 5, Chapter 3A of POCA);
• To undertake investigations (including search and seizure warrants) to support the proceedings sought above (under Part 8 of POCA); and
• Access to information relevant to the investigation of money laundering offences.