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Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act 2003
255Self-incrimination and other privileges overridden
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255 Self-incrimination and other privileges overridden
(1) This section applies despite the Legislation Act, part 15.4
(Preservation of certain common law privileges) if a person is
required to disclose anything in a confiscation proceeding, by an
order under this Act, or otherwise under this Act.
(2) The person is not excused from the disclosure because—
(a) the disclosure might tend to incriminate the person or make the
person liable to a penalty, or the person’s property liable to
forfeiture, under this Act or another territory law; or
(b) the disclosure would be in breach of an obligation (whether
imposed by law or otherwise) of the person not to make the
disclosure.
Example—legal professional privilege
A person is not excused from disclosing a document because to do so would be in
breach of an obligation by a lawyer to a client not to disclose the existence or
contents of the document.
(3) However, the disclosure is inadmissible against the person making
the disclosure in a civil or criminal proceeding except—
(a) in a criminal proceeding in relation to giving false or misleading
documents, information or testimony; or
(b) in a proceeding on an application under this Act; or
(c) in a proceeding for an additional order under section 39 or
section 250 in relation to another confiscation proceeding under
this Act; or
(d) in a proceeding for enforcement of a confiscation forfeiture
order, an automatic forfeiture or a penalty order; or
(e) for a document—in a civil proceeding in relation to a right or
liability it gives or imposes.
Miscellaneous Part 15
(4) An action does not lie against a person because of the disclosure if it
is in breach of an obligation the person would otherwise have
(whether imposed by law or applying otherwise).
disclosure, by a person, includes—
(a) the person answering a question or giving testimony or
information to someone else; and
(b) the person giving or producing a statement, document or
anything else to someone else.
Example of disclosure
giving information about the nature or location of property held by anyone