Civil Forfeiture Amendment Act, 2026

Amends the Civil Forfeiture Act covering responses to proceedings, default forfeiture orders, discovery of the director and the collection of information.

Civil forfeiture is a court process, separate from any criminal charge, in which the director of civil forfeiture asks the Supreme Court to transfer property to the government because it is the proceeds of unlawful activity or was used, or is likely to be used, to carry one out. Findings are made on the balance of probabilities, the civil standard. Bill 8 requires anyone who contests a claim to state in full how they acquired their interest and whether they hold it for someone else, lets the court order forfeiture by default when no response is filed, allows examination of the director for discovery, presumes that vehicles lose value over time, and lets the director exchange information with other jurisdictions.