Member

Just to emphasise, none of us here supports fraud against the state; it is a fraud of our fellow citizens as taxpayers and is completely unacceptable. However, I want to tackle this without compromising on liberties. Let us consider other ways that the state deals with fraud. In the context of proceeds of crime—essentially, fraud—the prosecution is required, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, to apply to the court for confiscation or account-freezing orders. Prosecutors are not permitted, for all the right reasons, simply to go into a person’s account and take money directly with no judicial authorisation.