Dan Hudson comments in Law360 on Crime and Policing Bill 2025
27 February 2025
Seladore Legal partner Dan Hudson was recently quoted in Law360’s analysis of the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, which introduces significant reforms aimed at strengthening asset recovery and corporate liability in economic crime cases.
One of the most notable changes is a major revamp of the confiscation regime, designed to ensure victims remain central to the process. Under the proposed reforms, courts would be able to revise and increase compensation for victims if new assets come to light after an initial confiscation order. As Dan notes, this could prove to be a significant development in securing redress for those impacted by fraud and financial crime.
More broadly, the Bill aims to tighten enforcement mechanisms by setting stricter timetables and making it easier to freeze assets before conviction. These changes are intended to prevent fraudsters from evading financial consequences and to streamline the asset recovery process.
Beyond asset recovery, the Bill would further expand corporate criminal liability, making it easier to hold companies accountable for crimes committed by their senior managers in the course of their employment. This could have wide-reaching implications for corporate insurance policies, compliance frameworks, and internal investigations. Additionally, the Bill introduces cost protections for law enforcement agencies pursuing illicit funds in civil recovery proceedings—removing a significant financial barrier that has previously discouraged aggressive enforcement.
While these reforms mark another step toward enhancing the UK’s approach to economic crime enforcement, their success will ultimately depend on how effectively they are implemented and enforced in practice.
