Criminal Justice Act, 1994

Confiscation orders: offences other than drug trafficking offences.

9.—(1) Where a person has been sentenced or otherwise dealt with in respect of an offence, other than a drug trafficking offence, of which he has been convicted on indictment, then, if an application is made, or caused to be made, to the court by the Director of Public Prosecutions the court may, subject to the provisions of this section, make a confiscation order under this section requiring the person concerned to pay such sum as the court thinks fit.

(2) An application under this section may be made if it appears to the Director of Public Prosecutions that the person concerned has benefited from the offence of which he is convicted or from that offence taken together with some other offence (not being a drug trafficking offence) of which he is convicted in the same proceedings or which the court has taken into consideration in determining his sentence.

(3) An application under subsection (1) of this section may be made at the conclusion of the proceedings at which the person is sentenced or otherwise dealt with or may be made at a later stage.

(4) For the purposes of this Act, a person benefits from an offence other than a drug trafficking offence if he obtains property as a result of or in connection with the commission of that offence and his benefit is the value of the property so obtained.

(5) Where a person derives a pecuniary advantage as a result of or in connection with the commission of an offence, he is to be treated for the purposes of this section as if he had obtained as a result of or in connection with the commission of the offence a sum of money equal to the value of the pecuniary advantage.

(6) The amount to be recovered by an order under this section shall not exceed—

(a) the amount of the benefit or pecuniary advantage which the court is satisfied that a person has obtained, or

(b) the amount appearing to the court to be the amount that might be realised at the time the order is made,

whichever is the less.

(7) The standard of proof required to determine any question arising under this Act as to—

(a) whether a person has benefited as mentioned in subsection (2) of this section, or

(b) the amount to be recovered in his case by virtue of this section,

shall be that applicable in civil proceedings.