Feature: I spy
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 extends the scope of a solicitor's obligation to report suspicions of crime beyond major drug money laundering operations to potentially any crime. Under POCA, to avoid the risk of prosecution, a lawyer must disclose to the National Criminal Intelligence Service (...
Saved in:
| Published in: | The Lawyer 2004-03, p.18 |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 extends the scope of a solicitor's obligation to report suspicions of crime beyond major drug money laundering operations to potentially any crime. Under POCA, to avoid the risk of prosecution, a lawyer must disclose to the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) any suspicions that a client's property may be criminal. Family law practitioners have been up in arms about POCA since Elizabeth Butler-Sloss's ruling last October in the case of P v P. Of course, anti-money laundering regulations affect professionals of all disciplines, but the issue has proved to be particularly combustible among family law practitioners, because they are privy to the financial minutiae of their clients. No matter how efficient - or not - the NCIS is, it does little to allay fears about the impact upon the client of having to make a disclosure. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0953-7902 |