The British Columbia government plans to strengthen its civil forfeiture law to better target drug crime and hidden assets. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said Tuesday amendments to the civil forfeiture law introduced in the legislature would expand the reach of the legal tools used to fight gangs and organized crime. He said the proposed amendments would require people accused of criminal behaviour to prove an asset involved in a civil forfeiture proceeding is not an instrument or proceed of crime. Farnworth said under the proposed amendments the onus would be on defendants to prove items seized in civil forfeiture cases came from legitimate sources. The amendments are the first significant revisions of the civil forfeiture law in 13 years, Farnworth said.

Source: CBC News March 06, 2019 00:56 UTC