Insolvency Act 1985

194 Power of arrest

(1) In the cases specified in subsection (2) below the court may cause a warrant to be issued to a constable or prescribed officer of the court—

(a) for the arrest of a debtor to whom a bankruptcy petition relates or of an undischarged bankrupt or of a discharged bankrupt whose estate is still being administered under Chapter V of this Part; and

(b) for the seizure of any books, papers, records, money or goods in the possession of a person arrested under the warrant;

and may authorise a person arrested under such a warrant to be kept in custody, and anything seized under such a warrant to be held, in accordance with the rules, until such time as the court may order.

(2) The powers conferred by subsection (1) above shall be exercisable in relation to a debtor or undischarged or discharged bankrupt if, at any time after the presentation of the bankruptcy petition relating to him or the making of the bankruptcy order against him, it appears to the court—

(a) that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he has absconded, or is about to abscond, with a view to avoiding or delaying the payment of any of his debts or his appearance to a bankruptcy petition or to avoiding, delaying or disrupting any proceedings in bankruptcy against him or any examination of his affairs;

or

(b) that he is about to remove his goods with a view to preventing or delaying possession being taken of them by the official receiver or the trustee of his estate; or

(c) that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he has concealed or destroyed, or is about to conceal or destroy, any of his goods or any books, papers or records which might be of use to his creditors in the course of his bankruptcy or in connection with the administration of his estate ; or

(d) that he has, without the leave of the official receiver or the trustee of his estate, removed any goods in his possession which exceed in value such sum as may be prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph ; or

(e) that he has failed, without reasonable excuse, to attend any examination ordered by the court.