Unexplained Wealth Order
An order under Part 1 of the Criminal Finances Act 2017 requiring a person to explain the origin of property worth over £50,000 where there are reasonable grounds to suspect it was obtained through unlawful conduct.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
The Criminal Finances Act 2017 inserted a new investigative tool into the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 aimed at assets whose owners cannot account for how they were paid for. The High Court may, on an application made by an enforcement authority, make an unexplained wealth order in respect of any property if the court is satisfied that each of the requirements for the making of the order is fulfilled.
One of those requirements is a minimum value threshold: the order can only be sought where the value of the property is greater than £50,000. If made, an unexplained wealth order is an order requiring the respondent to provide a statement setting out the nature and extent of their interest in the property and explaining how they obtained it — a respondent who cannot give a satisfactory explanation risks the property being treated as recoverable in later civil recovery proceedings.
Related terms
Official sources
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