(1) The Director of Public Prosecutions may make an application to the Court for an account freezing order in relation to an account in which the money is held if a police officer not below the rank of corporal or a financial investigator of the Financial Intelligence Authority has reasonable grounds for suspecting that money held in an account maintained with a financial institution—
(a) is recoverable property; or
(b) is intended by any person for use in criminal conduct.
(2) An application for an account freezing order under subsection (1) may be made without notice if the circumstances of the case are that notice of the application may prejudice the taking of any steps to forfeit money that is recoverable property or intended by any person for use in criminal conduct.
(3) The money referred to under subsection (1) may be all or part of the credit balance of the account.
(4) An account freezing order, subject to any exclusions under section 29V, prohibits each person by or for whom the account to which the order applies is operated from making withdrawals or payments from the account.
(5) An account is operated under subsection (2) by or for a person if the person is an account holder or a signatory or identified as a beneficiary in relation to the account.
(Inserted by Act 18 of 2023)