Even worse, unlike in other criminal proceedings, the
burden of proof is on the defendant who has to
demonstrate that the source of the funds used to purchase
the confiscated or forfeited assets is legal. When the
defendant fails to furnish such evidence conclusively and
convincingly, or if he has left the United States or had
died, the assets are sold at an auction and the proceeds
usually revert to various law enforcement agencies, to the
government's budget, or to good social causes and
programs. This is the case in many countries, including
United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Hong
Kong, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Ireland,
New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland.
According to a brief written by Jack Smith, Mark Pieth,
and Guillermo Jorge at the Basel Institute on Governance,
International Centre for Asset Recovery:
"Article 54(1)(c) of the UNCAC recommends that states
parties establish non-criminal systems of confiscation,
which have several advantages for recovery actions: the
standard of evidence is lower ("preponderance of the
evidence" rather than "beyond a reasonable doubt");
they are not subject to some of the more restrictive
traditional safeguards of international cooperation such
as the offense for which the defendant is accused has to
be a crime in the receiving state (dual criminality); and
it opens more formal avenues for negotiation and
settlements. This is already the practice in some
jurisdictions such as the US, Ireland, the UK, Italy,
Colombia, Slovenia, and South Africa, as well as some
Australian and Canadian States".
In most countries, including the United Kingdom, the
United States, Austria, Germany, Indonesia, Macedonia,
and Ireland, assets can be impounded, confiscated, frozen,
forfeited, and even sold prior to and without any criminal
conviction.
In Australia, Austria, Ireland, Hong-Kong, New Zealand,
Singapore, United Kingdom, South Africa, United States
and the Netherlands alleged and suspected criminals, their
family members, friends, employees, and partners can be
stripped of their assets even for crimes they have
committed in other countries and even if they have merely
made use of revenues obtained from illicit activities (this
is called "in rem, or property-based confiscation"). This
often gives rise to cases of double jeopardy.
Typically, the defendant is notified of the impending
forfeiture or confiscation of his or her assets and has
recourse to a hearing within the relevant law enforcement
agency and also to the courts. If he or she can prove
"substantial harm" to life and business, the property may
be released to be used, though ownership is rarely
restored.
When the process of asset confiscation or asset forfeiture
is initiated, banking secrecy is automatically lifted and the
government indemnifies the banks for any damage they
may suffer for disclosing confidential information about
their clients' accounts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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