Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026 / The Time Best Law Firms 2026 / 40+ Years of Expert Legal Practice in London
Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026 / The Time Best Law Firms 2026 / 40+ Years of Expert Legal Practice in London
Recognised as a Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026 and included in The Times Best Law Firms 2026, with more than 40 years of expert legal practice in London, our solicitors defend individuals, professionals and companies facing Account Freezing Orders and Account Forfeiture Orders.
If your bank account has been frozen by HMRC, the NCA, the SFO or the police, call our solicitors on +44 20 7387 2032 or complete our online enquiry form for confidential, urgent advice. We act for clients across London, throughout England and Wales and internationally.
Call +44 20 7387 2032 Make a Confidential EnquiryCivil asset forfeiture is becoming more common. Rather than pressing money laundering charges, the authorities increasingly pursue the money itself, freezing accounts and applying to forfeit the balance without any criminal prosecution. This is the route enforcement agencies now appear to prefer.
At Lewis Nedas Law, we work with some of the best specialist barristers and forensic accountants on both Account Freezing Orders and Account Forfeiture Orders. With millions of pounds successfully unfrozen for clients, we provide a rapid, proactive defence service with good value for money and a strong success rate, built on working with the leading professionals in this field.
To speak to one of our Account Freezing Order defence lawyers, please telephone us on +44 20 7387 2032 or complete our online enquiry form.
Our credentials include:
Recognised as a Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026
Included in The Times Best Law Firms 2026
More than 40 years of expert legal practice in London
Millions of pounds successfully unfrozen and returned to clients
Partner-led representation before the Magistrates' Courts, Crown Courts and investigative authorities
Close collaboration with leading Counsel and specialist forensic accountants
Account Freezing Orders and Account Forfeiture Orders were introduced by the Criminal Finances Act 2017, which amended the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).
They have been applied with great enthusiasm by the investigative authorities and law enforcement agencies, including HMRC, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the National Crime Agency (NCA) and various police forces, and thousands of these orders are now secured every year.
An order of this kind is quicker, cheaper and more effective for the authorities than a criminal prosecution for money laundering or a freezing injunction in the High Court, both of which are scrutinised far more intensively.
These orders are generally made ex parte, that is without notice, on application by designated officers to a Magistrates' Court. The frozen account must be a bank or building society account capable of holding deposits, and the account must hold a minimum of £1,000.
These are civil proceedings heard in the Magistrates' Court, generally within the criminal jurisdiction, and are subject to the often complex Magistrates' Courts Rules 1981 and the Magistrates' Courts (Freezing and Forfeiture of Money in Bank and Building Society Accounts) Rules 2017.
An order can be made for a period of up to two years. In our experience, initial orders currently run between six and twelve months, with accounts connected to foreign jurisdictions typically frozen for twelve months.
If your business or personal account has been frozen, the quickest way to protect legitimate funds is to explain clearly where the money came from and why it is being held. This usually means pulling together bank statements, contracts, invoices, tax returns and any other paperwork showing the funds are lawful and not linked to criminal conduct. A specialist solicitor can then present this evidence to the investigator and the Magistrates' Court, challenge the reasons given for suspicion, and argue that some or all of the balance should not remain frozen.
Yes. Even where an Account Freezing Order has been made, you can ask the court to vary it so that living costs, business overheads and legal fees can still be paid. Your legal team will normally prepare a detailed schedule of your monthly expenses and cash flow so the court can see what is genuinely needed and why allowing limited spending would not undermine the investigation.
If the agency moves from freezing to forfeiture, you usually have a short window to object and request a full hearing in the Magistrates' Court. At that hearing, your solicitor can present evidence of the lawful source of the funds, expose any gaps in the investigation and argue that forfeiture would be disproportionate, with the aim of having the money released in full or in part.
Freezing does not automatically mean you will lose the money permanently. If the agency cannot convince the court that the funds are the proceeds of crime or intended for unlawful use, the order can be discharged and the balance returned. In some situations it may be possible to explore compensation where an order has caused clear financial loss.
As soon as you learn your account may be frozen, or immediately after you discover a freeze has taken place. Early involvement allows your solicitor to open a dialogue with the enforcement body, assemble the right financial evidence and move quickly to vary, discharge or contest any attempt to forfeit your money.
For further information, listen to Account Freezing Orders – Podcast with Siobhain Egan
Our team, led in this field by Siobhain Egan, has secured a series of substantial results:
Successfully defended an application by HMRC to freeze two accounts in the name of a UK businessman, holding several hundred thousand pounds, at the first hearing, on the basis that HMRC could not prove any nexus between the monies and an allegation of revenue fraud and tax avoidance.
Successfully defended two separate sets of account freezing orders in the name of a foreign registered professional and businessman after the courts refused the applications. The investigating authority re-originated proceedings in another court in a different part of the country; those proceedings were refused too, after a successful abuse of process argument.
Represented a foreign political dissident who had in excess of £500,000 frozen on the basis of alleged breaches of AML rules and procedures, negotiating the return of £400,000 to her client.
Advised a UK company that had £18 million frozen; a long-established pharmaceutical exporter whose funds were frozen; and several companies and professional partnerships suspected by HMRC of Covid fraud whose business accounts were frozen.
Represented two foreign nationals subject to moratorium proceedings brought by the NCA under POCA 2002, involving frozen bank accounts holding £4.2 million, with civil forfeiture proceedings concerning a large prestigious property under consideration. A full investigation of the source of the monies, going back to 1994, and their movement through the international banking system satisfied the NCA, and the proceedings were discontinued (May 2023).
Represented a professional couple who had four bank accounts frozen by HMRC and over £250,000 restrained. A thorough investigation of the monies, including enquiries abroad, satisfied HMRC over nine months that the funds and their movement were legitimate, and the freezing orders were overturned (May 2023).
Successfully represented a non-UK businessman subject to an Account Freezing Order brought by HMRC, with £1.75 million frozen on suspicion that the funds were the proceeds of crime, including proceeds of the sale of cryptocurrency and related assets. We proved that all of the monies were legitimate, HMRC withdrew the order and all the monies were returned.
Acted for a UK company specialising in the export of high-value goods whose bank accounts were frozen by HMRC on suspicion of VAT irregularities. A substantial sum was frozen and a full VAT investigation followed. Our client was advised to cooperate in full, with the assistance of Allen Yhearm and Mark Richardson (Appleton Richardson, HMRC defence and forensic accountants) and Barnaby Hone of Counsel (5 St Andrew's Hill). HMRC concluded there was no evidence of VAT irregularities, the order was discharged and all monies were returned, at the end of long proceedings involving documentation from many jurisdictions.
Working with Barnaby Hone of Counsel and assisted by paralegal Isobel Cattrall, represented a senior professional in the crypto sector who had £1 million of crypto-related monies frozen by the NCA. After full analysis of the complete audit trail and the large volume of material provided by our client, the NCA agreed within seven days of receiving the material to discharge the order and arrange release of the monies.
The authorities receive an enormous volume of information about the suspicious movement of monies, much of it from Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) made by financial institutions, professional advisers and high-value goods dealers.
The enforcement officer applies to the court on the basis of reasonable grounds for suspecting that the monies are recoverable property or intended by any person for use in unlawful conduct. These are very broad grounds, and the officer can rely on hearsay statements.
The Magistrates' Court then decides, on the lower civil standard of proof, the balance of probabilities, whether the monies are recoverable property (obtained through unlawful conduct) or intended for use in unlawful conduct.
Choose a firm with proven experience of these orders, white collar and corporate crime, POCA and money laundering. An experienced defence solicitor will know the Magistrates' Courts, the complex rules governing them, the District Judges and lay magistrates making these decisions and, perhaps even more importantly, the practice and policy of the investigative authorities.
Prepare representations and supporting evidence on the lawful origins and lawful purpose of the monies. We have been particularly successful with these negotiations, and on one occasion persuaded HMRC to return £800,000 it had seized.
Representations or applications can be made to vary the order for living expenses, continuing trade and reasonable legal expenses. The courts are quite resistant to these applications and demand full supporting evidence; legal expenses, if granted at all, are allowed at rates well below market levels, and there is no state funding to defend these proceedings.
Check whether the authorities have breached or failed to adhere to the strict service provisions for the relevant notices and orders. Failure to comply can lift an account freezing order completely.
You may be an innocent third party with a legitimate interest in the monies, and can seek a variation of the order to secure the return of your funds.
When the authorities apply to extend the initial order, the enforcement officer can be cross-examined on the progress and diligence of the investigation. We have done this recently to great effect: the court granted only a very short extension, on the proviso that the officer show real, diligently effected progress. These officers are often under-resourced and under great pressure to freeze and forfeit monies, which pass automatically to central government.
The officer must serve notice of intention to forfeit on all affected parties, and the Account Forfeiture Notice procedure must be carefully scrutinised.
You then have 30 days from the day after the notice is given to object to the account forfeiture order, which will result in a full hearing in the Magistrates' Court. It may be possible to extend the 30-day period, but you would need to prove good reason.
Yes. The appeal lies to the local Crown Court and is a de novo hearing, meaning the case is heard afresh.
Yes. An application would need to be made to the relevant investigating authority.
We have a very experienced, highly regarded financial crime team, ranked and rated by the Legal 500 and The Times Best Law Firms, with years of proven success in dealing with these orders, money laundering, POCA restraint proceedings, High Court freezing orders, bribery and corruption, and all of the national investigative authorities. Our clients are professionals, business owners and high-net-worth individuals.
We regularly advise companies seeking guidance on preventing exposure to such orders and those with concerns about particular monies in their company bank accounts. We work with leading forensic accountants to evidence money trails and the best specialist barristers in this field.
Depending on the nature of your matter, your case may be handled by Siobhain Egan, Jeffrey Lewis, Miles Herman or Keith Wood.
For further information, listen to Siobhain Egan's podcast on this subject:
Account Freezing Orders – PodcastA court order under POCA freezing a bank or building society account holding at least £1,000, where funds are suspected of links to unlawful conduct.
Orders can last up to two years. Initial orders typically run six to twelve months, and extensions must be justified before the court.
Yes. The court can vary the order for living expenses, trade and reasonable legal costs, though full supporting evidence is demanded.
Yes. If the authority cannot prove the funds are recoverable property, the order can be discharged and the balance returned in full.
Yes. Appeals go to the Crown Court and are heard de novo, and compensation can be sought where orders are lifted.
If your account has been frozen, you have received an Account Forfeiture Notice or you are an innocent third party with an interest in frozen funds, immediate specialist advice can protect your money and your position.
Lewis Nedas Law is recognised as a Legal 500 Leading Firm 2026 and included in The Times Best Law Firms 2026, with more than 40 years of expert legal practice in London. Our solicitors act for clients across London, throughout England and Wales and internationally.
To speak to one of our Account Freezing Order defence lawyers, please telephone us on +44 20 7387 2032 or complete our online enquiry form to arrange a confidential consultation.
Call +44 20 7387 2032 Arrange a Confidential ConsultationPlease find links below to a series of relevant articles by leading barrister Barnaby Hone of Drystone Chambers, with whom we work closely in this field:
