Section 42: Application, discharge and variation
90.Section 42 lays down who may apply for a restraint order under the Act, and sets out criteria like those in the earlier confiscation legislation for the variation or discharge of restraint orders. Under the earlier legislation, only the prosecutor may apply for a restraint order. The Act provides that application may be made by the prosecutor, the Director or an accredited financial investigator.
91.The provision enabling the Director or an accredited financial investigator to apply for a restraint order is accordingly new. Accredited financial investigators are those accredited by the Director in accordance with section 3. They are likely to be employed primarily in force financial investigation units (FIUs) or by Customs and Excise. Under section 68, in order to ensure that the powers are only used in appropriate cases, applications will require the authority of a police officer of superintendent rank or the Customs equivalent or a financial investigator of the kind specified in an order made by the Secretary of State under section 453.