Section 7: Orders for securing compliance with confiscation order
46.This section inserts new sections 13A and 13B into POCA. Section 41(7) of POCA confers on the Crown Court, when making a restraint order, the power to make such order as it believes appropriate for the purposes of ensuring that a restraint order is effective. Such a power has been used to, amongst other things, impose an overseas travel ban on the person subject to a restraint order. New section 13A confers a similar power on the Crown Court to make a “compliance order” when making a confiscation order. The Court is at liberty to impose any restrictions, prohibitions or requirements as part of a compliance order provided they are considered appropriate for the purpose of securing that the confiscation order is effective, but it must consider whether to impose a ban on the defendant’s travel outside the UK (new section 13A(4)). If the court thinks that imposing a travel ban would help in ensuring that the confiscation order is effective then it might, for example, impose a requirement on the defendant to surrender his or her passport. Whilst the duty on the court to consider the imposition of a travel ban only applies to the defendant, it is open to the court to impose a prohibition or restriction on a third party when this is considered appropriate to make the confiscation order effective. Any person affected by a compliance order, that is the defendant or a third party, together with the prosecutor may apply to the court to vary or discharge a compliance order (new section 13A(5)).
47.New section 13B provides for a right of appeal to the Court of Appeal and subsequently to the Supreme Court, by the prosecutor against a decision by the Crown Court not to make a compliance order, or by the prosecutor or person affected by a compliance order against the decision to make, vary or discharge a compliance order (including the terms of such an order as made or varied). These rights of appeal mirror those in sections 43 and 44 of POCA in respect of restraint orders.
