Civil Forfeiture Office

The Civil Forfeiture Act became law in 2006. It targets the proceeds and instruments of unlawful activity. It was created to ensure that people cannot profit from unlawful activity or use property in a way that may harm other persons.

Civil forfeiture is designed to target property, not people. Proceedings are initiated by the director of civil forfeiture against both the profits of alleged unlawful activity and the instruments used to acquire it. Anyone who contests the allegations has the right to examine the director's evidence and provide their own evidence before a Justice of the Supreme Court of B.C.