Adamson Forensic Accounting Ltd Proceeds of Crime

We have unrivalled experience in assisting defence solicitors settle confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 as applied in Scotland. We specialise in the accurate calculation of benefit from crime in Scotland, both in criminal confiscation and, rarely, in civil recovery. Accounts of some recent case studies (see elsewhere in the website) give a flavour of the work involved. Court appearances are infrequent events as most cases settle before this, and we last gave evidence in a confiscation proof in 2007. Confiscation most commonly follows conviction for drugs trafficking, but the Crown has used its powers under the 2002 Act to serve Statements of Information to those convicted of other offences, particularly involving intellectual property (say, selling pirate dvd and cds), running a brothel, money laundering, and counterfeiting. We have yet to encounter confiscation proceedings following arms or people trafficking, and confess not to know what the Act means by "inchoate offences". Confiscation proceedings can run for two years following conviction, and often approach this deadline before matters are resolved. Most start with a six-figure opening gambit by the Crown, which the respondent cannot recognise as being anything to do with his crime, and reality never truly kicks in. The Crown requires the respondent has to prove the legitimacy of all money receive

d over six years, including periods for which pay-in slips have been destroyed by the banks; the respondent has difficulty equating the gain, if any, from a conviction for a single offence on a single date with the vast sums conjured by the Crown to be benefit from unspecified criminal activity occuring long before that single offence. We help resolve matters by preparing detailed calcuations that set out the respondent's position, write a report using NIFA professional standards, and then seek to narrow the matters in dispute by meeting with the Crown such that the matter can be resolved.

For further information and details contact info@adamsonforensics.co.uk