Criminal Justice Act 1988

73 Statements, etc. relevant to making confiscation orders

(1) Where—

(a) a defendant has been convicted of an offence to which this Part of this Act applies and the prosecutor tenders to the court a statement as to any matters relevant—

(i) to determining whether the defendant has benefited from the offence or from any other offence to which this Part of this Act applies of which he is convicted in the same proceedings or which is taken into consideration in determining his sentence; or

(ii) to an assessment of the value of the defendant’s benefit from the offence or any other offence to which this Part of this Act applies of which he is so convicted or which is so taken into consideration; and

(b) the defendant accepts to any extent any allegation in the statement;

the court may, for the purposes of so determining or making such an assessment, treat his acceptance as conclusive of the matters to which it relates.

(2) Where—

(a) a statement is tendered under subsection (1)(a) above, and

(b) the court is satisfied that a copy of that statement has been served on the defendant,

the court may require the defendant to indicate to what extent he accepts each allegation in the statement and, so far as he does not accept any such allegation, to indicate any matters he proposes to rely on.

(3) If the defendant fails in any respect to comply with a requirement under subsection (2) above, he may be treated for the purposes of this section as accepting every allegation in the statement apart from—

(a) any allegation in respect of which he has complied with the requirement; and

(b) any allegation that he has benefited from an offence or that any property was obtained by him as a result of or in connection with the commission of an offence.

(4) Where—

(a) there is tendered to the court by the defendant a statement as to any matters relevant to determining the amount that might be realised at the time the confiscation order is made; and

(b) the prosecutor accepts to any extent any allegation in the statement;

the court may, for the purposes of that determination, treat the acceptance by the prosecutor as conclusive of the matters to which it relates.

(5) An allegation may be accepted or a matter indicated for the purposes of this section either—

(a) orally before the court; or

(b) in writing in accordance with rules of court.

(6) If the court is satisfied as to any matter relevant for determining the amount that might be realised at the time the confiscation order is made (whether by an acceptance under this section or otherwise), the court may issue a certificate giving the court’s opinion as to the matters concerned and shall do so if satisfied that the amount that might be realised at the time the confiscation order is made is less than the amount the court assesses to be the value of the defendant’s benefit from the offence or, if more than one, all the offences in respect of which the order may be made.