A bill concerning proceeds of crime has been drafted and submitted to the Parliament on behalf of the government.

In a post on X today, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stated that one of the main objectives of the bill submitted by the government is to introduce a legal framework regarding the forfeiture of proceeds of crime to the state, in order to seize illegally acquired property from perpetrators of serious criminal offenses and block avenues for deriving further benefits from such assets.

The President stated that this will prevent perpetrators of serious criminal offenses from acquiring financial benefits from property gained through such crimes. The President also noted that this bill will provide a solution to the legal challenges currently faced in forfeiting state property acquired by various parties through serious criminal offenses back to the state.

While the parliament has not yet scheduled work on the bill, specific details of the provisions contained within the bill are also not yet available.

The state currently requests the forfeiture of proceeds of crime to the state from individuals facing money laundering and drug trafficking charges. However, various obstacles arise in courts issuing such orders.

Although courts have ordered the recovery of funds in such major cases, ordering the forfeiture of property to the state has occurred only on rare occasions.