The Assets and Recovery Agency (ARA) will retain property and freeze financial transactions for up to 3 months if Parliament adopts proposed changes to the law.
The changes to the Prevention of Organized Crimes Act, will increase the period under which the ARA can retain seized property, cash and freeze bank accounts from the current one month.
They are part of the government-sponsored Statute Miscellaneous Amendment Bill, 2022 and are aimed at giving investigative agencies more time to tighten cases of organised crime like terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption.
The Bill is part of efforts by the State in the fight against organized crime, which is described as multi-billion business by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
Interpol lists examples of organised crime as drugs and arms trafficking, corruption, money laundering, and counterfeiting of products.
“It (Bill) seeks to enhance the penalty for organised crime and to extend the period in which an order obtained in relation to tracing of property shall lapse,” National Assembly Leader of Majority Amos Kimunya, who tabled the Bill, says in a memo.