EOCO Now

The Economic and Organised Crime Office Act, 2010 (Act 804) repealed the Serious Fraud Office Act, 1993 (Act, 466). Act 804 established the Economic and Organised Crime Office as a specialised agency to monitor and investigate economic and organised crimes and on the authority of the Attorney-General prosecute these offences to recover proceeds of crime and provide for related matters.

The EOCO ACT, 2010 (Act 804) gave extended powers/functions for the Office to deal with serious offences involving financial and economic loss to the Republic or any State entity or institution in which the State had financial interest. The extended powers also mandated the Office to deal with offences involving:

• Money Laundering 
• Human and People Trafficking
• Prohibited cyber activities
• Tax fraud
• Participation in organised crime 
• Terrorism and terrorism financing
• Sexual exploitation 
• Illicit arms and trafficking
• Trafficking in stolen goods    
• Smuggling      
• Illicit trafficking in narcotics  
• Extortion   

The new extended functions also includes recovery of proceeds of crime, monitoring of criminal activities, taking preventive measures against criminal activity, disseminating criminal information to appropriate authorities and the process towards the confiscation of property or assets of persons for any of the offences which are investigated by the Office which shall be deemed to have been acquired from serious crime.

Act 804 also gives the Office extensive powers to search, seize, freeze assets and confiscate proceeds of crime upon conviction. Officers of the Office have the powers and immunity as conferred on a police officer in the performance of their duties in accordance with section 18 of the Act 804.