Downing Street Says » Drugs Strategy

» Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Drugs Strategy

Asked about the announcement in the drugs strategy that assets could be seized on arrest rather than on conviction, and did this not totally tear up everything about British Justice and the idea of being innocent until proven guilty, the PMS replied that this was not the case. As the Home Secretary had said, if someone was not found guilty then they would get their assets back. But the issue that we were trying to deal with, as the Home Secretary was saying this morning, was that we did not want to give drug dealers an opportunity to hide or ferret away their assets prior to convictions, that was the case for seizing them on arrest. This would require changing the law in order to do this, so it was obviously subject to parliamentary approval. But as he had said, people who were not found guilty would not have their assets confiscated.

Put that there were other consequences, for example what happened if the assets were seized from a drug dealer who had a wife and three children, the PMS replied that he thought there were mechanisms in place to ensure that people did not starve, or live below the breadline, so that was a situation that could be dealt with.

Put that it was not a situation that could be dealt with as the families could be homeless and looking for accommodation, the PMS replied that we were talking about drug dealers and their assets that might include things like expensive cars, large amounts of cash, expensive televisions for example.

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