06 July 2023
The United States Department of Justice requested the assistance of HM Attorney General in
aid of an investigation into a long-running scheme by the late Douglas Latchford to sell stolen
Cambodian antiquities in the United States and elsewhere. A total of US$12 million of the
proceeds of these sales had been transferred to Jersey financial institutions and, once
identified through close cooperation between the Law Officers’ Department, JFIU and the US
authorities, these were today made the subject of a property freezing order (PRO) under
Article 6 of the Civil Asset Recovery (International Co-Operation) Law 2007.
The Attorney General may apply on behalf of another country to freeze and return specific
recoverable property which, in civil asset recovery proceedings outside Jersey has been found
to have been used in, or intended to be used in, unlawful conduct or, obtained in the course
of, from the proceeds of, or in connection with, unlawful conduct.
After a period of time has elapsed in the United States and Jersey which allows third parties
to make representations about any interest they may have in the money that has been frozen,
it is intended that arrangements will be made to pay the sum frozen into the Civil Asset
Recovery Fund. The monies, less costs, will then be returned via the US Treasury to the
people of Cambodia via an asset sharing agreement.
Attorney General Mark Temple KC said: “The Economic Crime and Confiscation Unit in the
Law Officers’ Department and the Jersey Financial Intelligence Unit have worked in close
partnership with the US Department of Justice in this important case concerning the proceeds
of stolen antiquities. Due to the death of Mr Latchford, the proceedings are brought under the
Civil Asset Recovery (International Co-Operation) (Jersey) Law 2007, which is a powerful
additional weapon for Jersey in the fight against international financial crime and moneylaundering. It reinforces the precedent set in the previous proceedings involving Doraville
Properties Inc in 2020 whereby over US$300 million was recovered and returned to the people
of Nigeria.
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