Unexplained Wealth Order and Interim Freezing Order obtained by CPS
A property portfolio worth over £81m, comprising flats across central and south London, has been frozen following a successful application by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for an Unexplained Wealth Order and Interim Freezing Order.
The orders were granted against a Chinese national and associated UK companies, suspected of using money that has been illicitly obtained to purchase properties in the UK, which have been frozen pending an ongoing civil recovery investigation into whether they were purchased with the proceeds of unlawful conduct.
The Chinese national and the UK companies will now have 3 months to prove that the money used to purchase the properties was lawfully obtained or they could risk having them seized.
The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division is using the powers available under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to investigate the money laundering of international illicit funds in the UK with support from the Metropolitan Police Service.
What is an Unexplained Wealth Order?
Most of the time, when the authorities want to take back money made through crime, they must wait until someone has been convicted in court first. But what happens when someone is clearly living way beyond their means in a luxury house, driving expensive cars, and living an extravagant lifestyle, and there's no obvious legitimate income to explain it? That's where an Unexplained Wealth Order comes in.
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Director of Public Prosecutions is one of a small number of enforcement authorities who can apply to the High Court for one of these orders. It is an investigative tool that essentially flips the burden of proof. Instead of the authorities having to prove the money is dirty, the person who owns the assets must prove where the money came from and that it was obtained legally.
If they cannot explain it, or refuse to, the CPS can then apply to seize the assets entirely, without a conviction, by applying for a Civil Recovery Order. It is a powerful tool aimed squarely at serious criminals and corrupt individuals.
Notes to editors
- Mr X is a Chinese national.
- On 18 March 2026, the High Court granted an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) and Interim Freezing Order (IFO) against Mr X and their associated companies to the CPS. The IFO relates to 85 properties located across central and south London.
- These are civil recovery proceedings. Mr X has not been charged with or convicted of any criminal activity.
- The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division has, in the last five years, recovered £478 million from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £95 million of that amount has been returned directly to victims by way of compensation.
- CPS Proceeds of Crime Division has also, in the last three years, obtained 9 Civil Recovery Orders in respect of property worth approximately £6.2m.