CTHIn ForceAct
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
49Forfeiture orders—property suspected of being proceeds of indictable offences etc.
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 49
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
#### 49 Forfeiture orders—property suspected of being proceeds of indictable offences etc.
(1) A court with \*proceeds jurisdiction must make an order that property specified in the order is forfeited to the Commonwealth if:
(a) the \*responsible authority for a \*restraining order under section 19 that covers the property applies for an order under this subsection; and
(b) the restraining order has been in force for at least 6 months; and
(c) the court is satisfied that one or more of the following applies:
(i) the property is \*proceeds of one or more \*indictable offences;
(ii) the property is proceeds of one or more \*foreign indictable offences;
(iii) the property is proceeds of one or more \*indictable offences of Commonwealth concern;
(iv) the property is an instrument of one or more \*serious offences; and
(e) the court is satisfied that the authority has taken reasonable steps to identify and notify persons with an \*interest in the property.
(2) A finding of the court for the purposes of paragraph (1)(c):
(a) need not be based on a finding that a particular person committed any offence; and
(b) need not be based on a finding as to the commission of a particular offence, and can be based on a finding that some offence or other of a kind referred to in paragraph (1)(c) was committed.
(3) Paragraph (1)(c) does not apply if the court is satisfied that:
(a) no application has been made under Division 3 of Part 2‑1 for the property to be excluded from the \*restraining order; or
(b) any such application that has been made has been withdrawn.
Refusal to make a forfeiture order
(4) Despite subsection (1), the court may refuse to make an order under that subsection relating to property that the court is satisfied:
(a) is an \*instrument of a \*serious offence other than a \*terrorism offence; and
(b) is not \*proceeds of an offence;
if the court is satisfied that it is not in the public interest to make the order.