Part 8Investigations

C1Chapter 2England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Annotations:
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1

Pt. 8 Ch. 2: power to modify conferred (20.3.2015) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), ss. 47, 61(2); S.I. 2015/813, art. 2(b)

Search and seizure warrants

I1352 Search and seizure warrants

1

A judge may, on an application made to him by an appropriate officer, issue a search and seizure warrant if he is satisfied that either of the requirements for the issuing of the warrant is fulfilled.

2

The application for a search and seizure warrant must state that—

a

a person specified in the application is subject to a confiscation investigation F16, a civil recovery investigationF6, an exploitation proceeds investigation or a money laundering investigation, or

b

property specified in the application is subject to a civil recovery investigation F22, a detained cash investigation, a detained property investigation F25, a frozen funds investigation or a cryptoasset investigation.

3

The application must also state—

a

that the warrant is sought for the purposes of the investigation;

b

that the warrant is sought in relation to the premises specified in the application;

c

that the warrant is sought in relation to material specified in the application, or that there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is material falling within section 353(6), (7) F24, (7A), (7B) or (8) on the premises.

C44

A search and seizure warrant is a warrant authorising an appropriate person—

a

to enter and search the premises specified in the application for the warrant, and

b

to seize and retain any material found there which is likely to be of substantial value (whether or not by itself) to the investigation for the purposes of which the application is made.

C55

An appropriate person is—

F19a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

b

F7a Financial Conduct Authority officer, a F4F9National Crime Agency officer F12, an officer of Revenue and Customs or a member of the staff of the relevant Director, if the warrant is sought for the purposes of a civil recovery investigation.

C3F15c

a constable F5an SFO officer,F3, an accredited financial investigator or an officer of Revenue and Customs F13or an immigration officer, if the warrant is sought for the purposes of a detained cash investigation F1, a confiscation investigation or a money laundering investigation.

C2F18ca

a constable, an SFO officer, an accredited financial investigator or an officer of Revenue and Customs, if the warrant is sought for the purposes of a detained property investigation;

C2cb

a constable, an SFO officer, an accredited financial investigator or an officer of Revenue and Customs, if the warrant is sought for the purposes of a frozen funds investigation;

F2d

a F17National Crime Agency officer, if the warrant is sought for the purposes of an exploitation proceeds investigation.

F105A

In this Part “relevant Director”—

a

in relation to England and Wales, means the Director of Public Prosecutions F8... or the Director of the Serious Fraud Office; and

b

in relation to Northern Ireland, means the Director of the Serious Fraud Office or the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

6

The requirements for the issue of a search and seizure warrant are—

a

that a production order made in relation to material has not been complied with and there are reasonable grounds for believing that the material is on the premises specified in the application for the warrant, or

b

that section 353 is satisfied in relation to the warrant.

F237

The reference in F21paragraph F14... (c)F21paragraphs (c), (ca) and (cb) of subsection (5) to an accredited financial investigator is a reference to an accredited financial investigator who falls within a description specified in an order made for the purposes of that paragraph by the Secretary of State F11or the Welsh Ministers under section 453.

F208

Criminal Procedure Rules may make provision about proceedings under this section on an application to a judge entitled to exercise the jurisdiction of the Crown Court in England and Wales.