Insights into Account Freezing Orders & Account Forfeiture Orders - Episode 1: Account Freezing Orders

Insights into Account Freezing Orders & Account Forfeiture Orders is a two-part series covering how these orders work in practice and how you might challenge them.

In the first episode, Ed Smyth, Partner & Sophie Wood, Senior Associate (Barrister) in our Criminal Litigation team, speak about Account Freezing Orders.

They explore the following questions:

• What are Account Freezing Orders and how are they obtained?
• What happens when an Account Freezing Orders is ordered and what happens to funds that are paid into an affected account?
• Can an Account Freezing Orders be challenged or varied?
• Are frozen funds released for living expenses?

Stay tuned for our second episode in our series, covering Account Forfeiture Orders.

Further Information

For further information on the issues raised in this podcast, please contact a member of our Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering team. 

You can find out more about Account Freezing Orders by clicking here. You can also see a range of work our Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering team cover by clicking here.

About the speakers

Ed Smyth is a Partner in the Criminal Litigation team and represents individuals and corporates involved across the full spectrum of criminal and quasi-criminal matters. He has considerable experience of confiscation and asset forfeiture proceedings and of challenging the exercise of search and seizure powers. He has acted in cases involving the SFO, the NCA, HMRC, the Information Commissioner, the Electoral Commission and various professional disciplinary bodies.

Sophie Wood is a Senior Associate (Barrister) in the Criminal Litigation team with extensive experience in advising corporate and individual clients involved in a wide range of internal, criminal and regulatory investigations and public inquiries. Sophie has worked on large-scale and complex cases of serious fraud and money laundering brought by the SFO, US DoJ, FCA and HMRC. A number of these cases have had multi-jurisdictional aspects, encompassing requests for Mutual Legal Assistance, INTERPOL red notices and extradition. Sophie also advises on POCA 2002 and, in particular, individuals impacted by restraint and confiscation proceedings.