COURT RULES PROVINCES CAN SEIZE CRIME BOUNTY

(CNS) - Provincial governments were spared the prospect of returning
millions of dollars in seized property when the Supreme Court of
Canada ruled Friday that the Crown has the power to confiscate the
proceeds of crime.

The unanimous decision preserves provincial laws adopted across
Canada in recent years permitting governments to attempt to take the
profit out of crime and to compensate victims by ordering the
forfeiture of ill-gotten goods.

The ruling rejected an Ontario man's argument that the province's
Civil Remedies Act is unconstitutional because it treads on federal
jurisdiction over criminal law.

"Each level of government bears a portion of the costs of criminality
and each level of government, therefore, has an interest in its
suppression," Justice Ian Binnie wrote in the 7-0 decision.

Robin Chatterjee, a former student at Carleton University, was en
route to his home in Thornhill, Ont., in March 2003 when police
pulled him over because his car was missing a front licence plate.

They discovered he was breaching a court order to live in Ottawa and
upon searching his car, found a light ballast, one light socket and
an exhaust fan -- items commonly used for marijuana grow operations.
He also had $29,000 cash.

Police did not charge the young man because they said they did not
have enough evidence.

Ontario's Civil Remedies Act, however, does not require a criminal
conviction, so the province moved in and seized the goods after
receiving judicial approval. A judge can give permission based on a
balance of probabilities that the goods were proceeds of crime, a
standard that is not as high as the criminal test of proof beyond a
reasonable doubt.

Chatterjee's lawyer, James Diamond, predicted a spike in forfeitures
following the Supreme Court's endorsement. Also, provinces that have
put their efforts on hold pending the ruling can now proceed, he said.

"I certainly expect that all the provinces will step up their
efforts," said Diamond.