UVF: PSNI awarded £17k in court battle as part of probe into east Belfast terror group

The PSNI has been awarded over £17,000 by the courts as part of an operation against the UVF in east Belfast

The award comes after a hearing at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday.

The money was seized by officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) following the search of a car at Garnerville Road in Belfast on March 25 last year, as part of an ongoing investigation into the activities of the East Belfast UVF.

Detective Inspector Maguire from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force said: “The amount of cash forfeited yesterday shows the PCTF’s ongoing commitment to pursuing proceeds of crime generated from the criminal activities of paramilitary groupings. The public have specifically asked us to pursue the finances generated by paramilitaries and we will explore every avenue in order to do so. This money will now be put to good use in providing assistance to local initiatives and other worthwhile causes.”

The PSNI, HM Revenue & Customs and the National Crime Agency have established the PCTF to tackle criminality linked to paramilitary activity as part of the Executive’s action plan on Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality, and Organised Crime.

Civil Recovery proceedings under Part 5 of POCA provide for the recovery of property which has been acquired through unlawful conduct and therefore is, or represents the proceeds of crime. Unlike criminal confiscation, civil recovery is not dependent on a criminal conviction and the proceedings are brought in the High Court in the form of a civil action. The civil recovery claim focuses on the property as opposed to the person and whether property is recoverable or not is determined by the High Court on the civil standard of proof namely, the balance of probabilities.

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