Section 177 – Removal of money attached
594.Subsections (1) and (2) of section 177 provide that the judicial officer executing a money attachment can attach and remove money only up to an amount which, in the opinion of the judicial officer, does not exceed the amount claimed in the charge plus any interest together with all expenses chargeable against the debtor for the money attachment. This amount of money is referred to as the “sum recoverable by the money attachment” throughout the money attachment sections. Because the expenses of the money attachment are not settled until the end of the process and the value of some banking instruments may not be immediately ascertainable, the judicial officer has to take a view on how much attached money would represent the sum recoverable.
595.Subsections (3) and (4) put a duty on the judicial officer to convert any non-sterling cash into sterling as soon as reasonably practicable and to obtain the best amount practicable for it. All cash in sterling, including that which has been converted from foreign currency, is to be deposited in a bank account (subsection (5)).
596.Subsection (6) provides that the officer does not need to attach and remove any banking instrument other than cheques unless instructed to attach instruments like this by the creditor. If the creditor does not instruct the officer to attach these other instruments, the officer cannot be liable for any loss incurred by a failure to attach those instruments. Where a banking instrument is attached, the officer must have it valued at the price it is likely to fetch on the open market unless the officer thinks a professional valuation is needed (subsection (7) and see also section 180).