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ARTICLE · 21 SEPTEMBER 2018

Unexplained Wealth Orders Likely To Rise

Mishcon de Reya LLP
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Following the release of the names of two Russian nationals wanted in connection with the attempted murder of former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, reports indicate that the...

United KingdomCriminal Law
Tim Thompson
Tim Thompson
Chris Breaks
Chris Breaks

Following the release of the names of two Russian nationals wanted in connection with the attempted murder of former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, reports indicate that the National Crime Agency (NCA) is looking to increase the number of individuals targeted with unexplained wealth orders (UWOs).

UWOs are court orders requiring individuals to account for the origin of their assets if certain conditions are satisfied including, there being reasonable grounds for suspecting that the individual's known sources of income are insufficient to enable them to obtain such assets. For more information on UWOs, see our previous blog here.

UWOs were introduced under the Criminal Finances Act 2017 and came into force on 31 January 2018. Despite having had the power to issue such orders for more than six months, the authorities have received widespread criticism for a perceived lack of action. Since the introduction of UWOs, only three orders have been

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