The federal government wants to make it easier to seize and secure assets that are either criminally obtained or of uncertain provenance. This goal emerges from a strategy titled “Reorientation of the fight against organized crime, finance, and drug crime” which is about to be adopted by the cabinet, according to Politico. The plan will be presented this Wednesday by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD), Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD), and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU).
The paper states that the rules for confiscating criminal assets will be simplified and strengthened. New provisions will also cover administrative investigations and the safeguarding of assets with unclear origins. These measures are meant to allow authorities to freeze or otherwise secure assets even before a criminal trial starts, and the paper claims that burden‑of‑proof shifts will be introduced in cases of pronounced wealth‑income discrepancies or links to organized crime.
According to officials, the new framework would let the state secure items such as real estate, luxury vehicles, or cash as soon as an investigation is launched, provided the legitimate source of the assets cannot be proven. Between customs (Zoll) and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) there will be “purpose‑bound and legally secure direct access to data”. The government will enact the necessary national legal changes so that customs and the BKA can retrieve the required information in compliance with constitutional requirements.
In addition, the federal government plans to establish a joint competence centre shared by customs and the BKA, as well as a dedicated “money‑laundering investigation centre” within customs.
