Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

125 Management administrators

(1) If the court makes a restraint order it may at any time, on the application of the prosecutor—

(a) appoint an administrator to take possession of any realisable property to which the order applies and (in accordance with the court’s directions) to manage or otherwise deal with the property;

(b) order a person who has possession of property in respect of which an administrator is appointed to give him possession of it.

(2) An appointment of an administrator may be made subject to conditions or exceptions.

(3) Where the court makes an order under subsection (1)(b), the clerk of court must notify the accused and any person subject to the order of the making of the order.

(4) Any dealing of the accused or any such person in relation to property to which the order applies is of no effect in a question with the administrator unless the accused or, as the case may be, that person had no knowledge of the administrator’s appointment.

(5) The court—

(a) may order a person holding an interest in realisable property to which the restraint order applies to make to the administrator such payment as the court specifies in respect of a beneficial interest held by the accused or the recipient of a tainted gift;

(b) may (on the payment being made) by order transfer, grant or extinguish any interest in the property.

(6) The court must not—

(a) confer the power mentioned in subsection (1) to manage or otherwise deal with the property, or

(b) exercise the power conferred on it by subsection (5),

unless it gives persons holding interests in the property a reasonable opportunity to make representations to it.

(7) The court may order that a power conferred by an order under this section is subject to such conditions and exceptions as it specifies.

(8) Managing or otherwise dealing with property includes—

(a) selling the property or any part of it or interest in it;

(b) carrying on or arranging for another person to carry on any trade or business the assets of which are or are part of the property;

(c) incurring capital expenditure in respect of the property.

(9) Subsections (1)(b) and (5) do not apply to property for the time being subject to a charge under—

(a) section (9) of the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 (c. 32);

(b) section 78 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (c. 33);

(c) Article 14 of the Criminal Justice (Confiscation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1990 (S.I. 1990/2588 (N.I. 17));

(d) section 27 of the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (c. 37);

(e) Article 32 of the Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (S.I. 1996/1299 (N.I. 9)).