Oliver Powell instructed in multi-million pound Confiscation Hearing

Oliver Powell, led by Senior Treasury Counsel, was instructed by the Crown Prosecution Service in confiscation proceedings that emanated from convictions in relation to the sale of fake bomb detectors.

On 23 April 2013 Mr McCormick was convicted of three counts of fraud contrary to s.7(1) FA 2006 and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Owing to the fact that Mr McCormick had benefitted from his criminal conduct the Court directed that there be confiscation proceedings.

At the hearing this week, HHJ Hone QC ordered that the benefit of Mr McCormick’s offending amounted to a sum in excess of £21 million and that Mr McCormick had realisable assets totalling nearly £8 million. The realisable assets included a number of properties, motor vehicles and a Sunseeker Portofino 48 motor cruiser. Mr McCormick was also ordered to pay compensation to: the Mövenpick Group; United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon; the Republic of Niger; Georgia and the Republic of Iraq.

This case will be of particular interest to lawyers because it is the largest and most high profile case to date in which the Court has had to consider the new Interested Persons provisions (s.10A POCA 2002) that were brought in following amendments made by SCA 2015 in June 2015.

Oliver Powell is ranked in both Chambers & Partners (UK) and The Legal 500 for asset forfeiture and the civil recovery of the proceeds of crime. He is also a contributor to Millington & Sutherland Williams on the Proceeds of Crime.

Press coverage is available in BBC, itv and theguardian.

News 17 Jun, 2016