Crime News: Account Freezing Order — Recovery of £40,105.85 Following Detailed Representations

Samir Pasha was instructed on a direct access basis by a client whose business account had been frozen for six months by the Home Office under an Account Freezing Order pursuant to s.303Z1 POCA 2002. The Home Office suspected the £40,105.85 held in the account was recoverable property, on the basis that the client — whose visa permitted him to work only for a single sponsor — was operating an unauthorised business in breach of his immigration conditions and providing unlawful immigration advice through a connected company, with the account allegedly laundering the proceeds.

Samir prepared detailed written representations tracing the account’s turnover through invoices, subcontractor agreements, and statements of work to establish the funds derived from a legitimate IT consultancy business lawfully operated from abroad, while correcting the mistaken inferences and factual errors underpinning the Home Office’s suspicion.

Following receipt of these representations, the Home Office did not pursue forfeiture, and on 22 July 2026 Kirklees Magistrates’ Court ordered the Account Freezing Order be set aside in its entirety — releasing the full £40,105.85 back to the client without the need for a contested hearing.