Latest news with #ProceedsOfCrime
Irish Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Seized criminal assets to be disposed of more quickly under new measures
Criminals will face seeing their seized assets being sold more quickly as part of a package of reforms being brought to Cabinet today. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan will bring a review of the Proceeds of Crime Act, which was passed at the same time as the legislation which set up the Criminal Assets Bureau in 1996, to Cabinet. The legislation governing the treatment of the proceeds of crime is periodically reviewed, and under amendments to be brought following the review, CAB will be given new powers which aim to strengthen its operations and its ability to target the proceeds of crime. Under the Bill, assets that are the proceeds of crime can be disposed of after two years instead of five, while a receiver can also be put in immediately after they are determined to be such assets so people cannot continue to benefit from them prior to the State selling them off. READ MORE Organised crime in Ireland is estimated to be worth about €1.7 billion annually. Minister for Housing James Browne is to bring forward new planning design standards for apartments , which were reported on over the weekend. The Government believes they will result in an average reduction of €50,000 per apartment unit. They will allow for more one-bedroom and studio apartments, and reduce some apartment sizes, while changing rules around the number of apartments in a scheme that have to exceed minimum sizes by 10 per cent. Other matters such as loosening restrictions on dual aspect, governing natural light, will also be contained. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will bring a Bill legislating for a statutory 'right to be forgotten' for cancer survivors when it comes to buying a home or insurance products. The legislation will adapt a Bill brought forward in this area by Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South Central Catherine Ardagh. The new legislation will focus on mortgage -protection insurance. Minister for Climate Darragh O'Brien will bring forward amendments on air pollution to support enforcement personnel monitoring air quality. He will also ask the Cabinet to note the outcomes of the 29th COP conference in Baku. Meanwhile, Minister for Communications Patrick O'Donovan will update the cabinet on the National Broadband Plan, telling Ministers that the project is on track to be delivered ahead of time and within its budget. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will bring amendments to the health Act including new requirements for the Health Service Executive board and chief executive regarding budgetary management, and requiring that proposals for corrective action be put in place where expenditure levels are exceeded. The annual report of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission will be brought to Cabinet by Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke , along with a report on Irish competitiveness and the Enterprise Ireland report for 2024.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- BBC News
Convicted Middleton drug dealer ordered to repay £200k
A convicted drug dealer must pay back more than £200,000 of his "ill-gotten gains" or face three years in Whiteley, of Alkrington Road North in Middleton, Greater Manchester, received a suspended prison sentence after admitting three counts of conspiracy to produce class B drugs, namely cannabis, in money he must repay is significantly more than the £3,800 presented at the original court case following a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Manchester Police said its proceeds of crime investigation proved three houses he bought were funded from his criminal activities and it also seized a vintage Ford Cosworth valued at £90,000 and a Transit van worth £50,000. Whiteley has three months to repay £218,443. 'Ill-gotten gains' Financial investigator Kelly Belfield said: "This case highlights that crime doesn't pay and we will come after criminals and take their ill-gotten gains."The case is unusual as Whiteley was only convicted of benefiting from £3,800 from his drugs business."However, using Proceeds of Crime legislation and carrying out a confiscation investigation, I have managed to bring this figure up to £218,443 which is a huge increase and a great result."She added: "If Whiteley fails to pay the money within three months, then he will serve an extra three years in jail - and still have to sell his assets and pay using the proceeds."Reclaiming cash this way not only disrupts criminal activity but it also directly benefits communities across Greater Manchester."These funds will be reinvested into vital community programmes and services through our asset recovery incentivisation scheme." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Scottish Sun
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Gangsters ‘would be treated like terrorists' and face up to 14 years in jail under Tory plans
Scotland's turf war shows no sign of slowing down GANG DEMAND Gangsters 'would be treated like terrorists' and face up to 14 years in jail under Tory plans Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CRIME gang members would be treated like terrorists and face up to 14 years in jail under crackdown plans from the Scottish Tories. It would see them behind bars if they are part of gangs identified by Police Scotland. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 2 A hitman stormed a bar and assassinated Eddie Lyons Jr and Ross Monaghan And the Tories would rewrite the law to stop fraudsters and rich criminals getting away with paying back a fraction of their ill-gained wealth. Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: 'Organised crime gangs are causing misery in our communities, but the SNP still fail to act. Find out what's really going on Register now for our free weekly politics newsletter for an insightful and irreverent look at the (sometimes excruciating) world of Scottish Politics. Every Thursday our hotshot politics team goes behind the headlines to bring you a rundown of key events - plus insights and gossip from the corridors of power, including a 'Plonker' and 'Star' of the Week. Sign up now and make sure you don't miss a beat. The politicians would hate that. SIGN UP FOR FREE NOW 'We'll get tough on these individuals by making it a criminal offence to be a member of gangs. 'It will be in a similar vein to it being illegal to be a member of a terrorist organisation. 'It's also time to overhaul the SNP's Proceeds Of Crime laws which too often let criminals off repaying their debts.' Gang membership would lead to the same jail sentence as being part of a terrorist group such as Hamas. It would also see Police Scotland paid by criminals ordered to pay back their ill-gotten gains. The DOWNFALL of Scotland's biggest gangster - Jamie 'The Iceman' Stevenson Part Two The party says this will encourage cops to investigate organised crime gangs by giving them a cash incentive. John Swinney was last week blasted for failing to act on organised crime amid a raging underworld turf war in Scotland and the double murder of two Scots drug lords in Spain. We told last week how a hitman stormed a bar in Fuengirola on the Costa Del Sol and assassinated Lyons gang kingpins Eddie Lyons Jr, 46, and pub owner Ross Monaghan, 43. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'The Scottish Government made it an offence for an individual to be involved in serious organised crime in 2010. 'Since 2008 over £156 million of ill-gotten gains has been recovered through the UK-wide Proceeds Of Crime Act.'
National Post
06-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
FIRST READING: The wild overreach contained in the Liberals' new border control bill
Article content TOP STORY Article content The first piece of legislation tabled by the new Carney government is a bill framed as a means to tighten the 'security of the border between Canada and the United States.' Article content 'The Bill will … keep Canadians safe by ensuring law enforcement has the right tools to keep our borders secure, combat transnational organized crime, stop the flow of illegal fentanyl, and crack down on money laundering' read a backgrounder. Article content Article content But within days of the text becoming public, analysts began to notice that Bill C-2's 140 pages contained a number of provisions that went well beyond the usual scope of chasing down drug smugglers and gangsters. This includes a clause that technically outlaws paying for anything with more than $10,000 in cash. Article content Article content The bill would do this via an amendment to The Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act, legislation that was first made law in 2000. The amendment states that it would become an offence to accept 'a cash payment, donation or deposit of $10,000 or more in a single transaction.' Article content It doesn't matter if the $10,000 is paid to a licensed business for a legal product or service: The mere fact that the payment is in cash is what makes it illegal. Article content Article content It also becomes illegal if 'a prescribed series of related transactions' come to a total of more than $10,000. So, if you pay $2,000 cash to a contractor more than five times, that contractor will have officially violated The Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act. Article content Article content In a statement, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms conceded that it's a rare thing for a Canadian to pay a five-figure bill in cash, but warned that once the precedent is set, it would be very easy for governments to reduce the 'legal amount' of a cash transaction. 'Restricting the use of cash is a dangerous step towards tyranny and totalitarianism,' it wrote. Article content 'If we cherish our privacy, we need to defend our freedom to choose cash, in the amount of our choosing. This includes, for example, our right to pay $10,000 cash for a car, or to donate $10,000 (or more) to a charity.' Article content Another twist with the provision is that it only covers donations collected by an entity involved in 'the solicitation of charitable financial donations.' So virtually all of the anti-Israel protests regularly blockading Canadian streets would be exempt, as they're not organized by registered charities. If you want to hand $10,000 in cash to your local Globalize the Intifada vigil, The Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act has no quarrel with you.
Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Grandmother who stole £1.5m from employer ordered to pay back half
A grandmother who stole £1.5 million from her employers — which she spent on family holidays and new cars — has been ordered to pay back almost £700,000. Coleen Muirhead was jailed for three years and three months in 2023 after she admitted embezzling the money from Panda Rosa Metals in Aberdeen. The 57-year-old, who worked as an administrator at the firm on £33,000 a year, created false accounts to help pocket the money between June 2015 and October 2021. Following her prison sentence, prosecutors attempted to recoup some of the stolen sum under Proceeds of Crimes laws. Muirhead, who was freed from prison earlier this year, told a judge the money was gone having gambled it, spent it on holidays, given large sums to
