Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 2 · Confiscation of Benefits of Drug Dealing or Criminal Conduct
7. Confiscation orders for benefits derived from criminal conduct
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2018. 2 amendments in all.
Subject to section 30, where a defendant is convicted of one or more serious offences, the court must, on the application of the Public Prosecutor, make a confiscation order against the defendant in respect of benefits derived by the defendant from criminal conduct if the court is satisfied that those benefits have been so derived.
defendant
“defendant” means a person against whom proceedings have been instituted for a drug dealing offence or a serious offence, as the case may be, or offences whether or not the person has been convicted thereof;
If the court is satisfied that benefits have been derived by the defendant from criminal conduct, the court must, at any time after sentencing or otherwise dealing with the defendant in respect of the offence or any of the offences concerned (as the case may be), determine in accordance with section 13 the amount to be recovered in the defendant’s case by virtue of this section.
criminal conduct
“criminal conduct” means doing or being concerned in, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, any act constituting a serious offence or a foreign serious offence;
The court must not take into account any application or proposed application for a confiscation order in determining the appropriate sentence or other manner of dealing with the defendant in respect of the serious offences concerned.
confiscation order
“confiscation order” means an order made under section 6 or 7;
Where the court which convicted the defendant is for any reason unable to determine the amount to be recovered under subsection (2), the determination and confiscation order (if any) may be made by the Registrar.
Registrar
“Registrar” means, in relation to proceedings in —(a)the General Division of the High Court — the Registrar, Deputy Registrar or Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court; and(b)a District Court or a Magistrate’s Court — the Registrar or Deputy Registrar of the State Courts;
Any relevant evidence admitted in the proceedings against the defendant for the serious offence concerned is to be, if the court or the Registrar thinks fit, taken into account in determining the amount to be recovered under subsection (2) or (4).
serious offence
“serious offence” means —(a)any of the offences specified in the Second Schedule;(b)conspiracy to commit any of those offences;(c)inciting others to commit any of those offences;(d)attempting to commit any of those offences; or(e)aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of any of those offences;
Without affecting section 31, for the purposes of this Act, a person who holds or has at any time (whether before or after 13 September 1999) held any property or any interest in any property (including income accruing from the property or interest) disproportionate to the person’s known sources of income, the holding of which cannot be explained to the satisfaction of the court, is, until the contrary is proved, presumed to have derived benefits from criminal conduct.
property
“property” means money and all other property, movable or immovable, including things in action and other intangible or incorporeal property;
For the purposes of subsection (6), any expenditure by a person mentioned in that subsection (whether incurred before or after 13 September 1999) is, until the contrary is proved, presumed to have been met out of the person’s benefits derived from criminal conduct.
The presumption referred to in subsection (6) is not rebutted merely by adducing proof to the effect that the property or interest in the property (including income accruing from that property or interest) was derived from drug dealing.
To avoid doubt, a District Court or Magistrate’s Court may make a confiscation order under subsection (1) in respect of the full amount determined in accordance with section 13 to be the value of the benefits derived by the defendant from criminal conduct.[5