The following section shall be inserted in the M1Criminal Justice Act 1988, after section 93B—
(1)A person is guilty of an offence if he—
(a)conceals or disguises any property which is, or in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents, his proceeds of criminal conduct; or
(b)converts or transfers that property or removes it from the jurisdiction,
for the purpose of avoiding prosecution for an offence to which this Part of this Act applies or the making or enforcement in his case of a confiscation order.
(2)A person is guilty of an offence if, knowing or having reasonable grounds to suspect that any property is, or in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents, another person’s proceeds of criminal conduct, he—
(a)conceals or disguises that property; or
(b)converts or transfers that property or removes it from the jurisdiction,
for the purpose of assisting any person to avoid prosecution for an offence to which this Part of this Act applies or the making or enforcement in his case of a confiscation order.
(3)In subsections (1) and (2) above, the references to concealing or disguising any property include references to concealing or disguising its nature, source, location, disposition, movement or ownership or any rights with respect to it.
(4)A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or to both; or
(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years or a fine or to both.”.
Marginal Citations