Jane EarlThe Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) – formally launched this week – is to seek out private sector lawyers to help it fulfil its controversial brief of seizing the assets of suspected criminals.

The ARA, which has been set up as an independent Government agency under the Proceeds of Crime Act, aims to confiscate money from those who cannot be convicted by the courts. As the ARA makes confiscation orders through the civil courts it relies on a lower burden of proof than criminal convictions.