Did you know that in many offshore jurisdictions including Jersey, Guernsey and Hong Kong, bank accounts and other assets can effectively be “frozen” indefinitely by a decision of a police officer, without a court order, because of a mere suspicion of money laundering? 

This can be extremely useful as a tool to prevent criminals getting away with the proceeds of their crime, giving investigators time to build their case and preserving assets for the victims. However such draconian powers are controversial, especially when the freeze lasts for years without any prosecution taking place.

A recent decision of the ...