- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As enacted)
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the UK Borders Act 2007, Section 26.
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.
(1)In this section “property” means property which—
(a)has come into the possession of an immigration officer, or
(b)has come into the possession of the Secretary of State in the course of, or in connection with, a function under the Immigration Acts.
(2)A magistrates' court may, on the application of the Secretary of State or a claimant of property—
(a)order the delivery of property to the person appearing to the court to be its owner, or
(b)if its owner cannot be ascertained, make any other order about property.
(3)An order shall not affect the right of any person to take legal proceedings for the recovery of the property, provided that the proceedings are instituted within the period of six months beginning with the date of the order.
(4)An order may be made in respect of property forfeited under section 25, or under section 25C of the Immigration Act 1971 (c. 77) (vehicles, &c.), only if—
(a)the application under subsection (2) above is made within the period of six months beginning with the date of the forfeiture order, and
(b)the applicant (if not the Secretary of State) satisfies the court—
(i)that the applicant did not consent to the offender's possession of the property, or
(ii)that the applicant did not know and had no reason to suspect that the property was likely to be used, or was intended to be used, in connection with an offence.
(5)The Secretary of State may make regulations for the disposal of property—
(a)where the owner has not been ascertained,
(b)where an order under subsection (2) cannot be made because of subsection (4)(a), or
(c)where a court has declined to make an order under subsection (2) on the grounds that the court is not satisfied of the matters specified in subsection (4)(b).
(6)The regulations may make provision that is the same as or similar to provision that may be made by regulations under section 2 of the Police (Property) Act 1897 (c. 30) (or any similar enactment applying in relation to Scotland or Northern Ireland); and the regulations—
(a)may apply, with or without modifications, regulations under that Act,
(b)may, in particular, provide for property to vest in the Secretary of State,
(c)may make provision about the timing of disposal (which, in particular, may differ from provision made by or under the Police (Property) Act 1897),
(d)shall have effect only in so far as not inconsistent with an order of a court (whether or not under subsection (2) above),
(e)shall be made by statutory instrument, and
(f)shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
(7)For the purposes of subsection (1) it is immaterial whether property is acquired as a result of forfeiture or seizure or in any other way.
(8)In the application of this section to Scotland a reference to a magistrates' court is a reference to the sheriff.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1S. 26 modified (E.W.) (1.12.2020) by Sentencing Act 2020 (c. 17), ss. 156(3), 416(1) (with ss. 2, 398(1), 406, Sch. 27); S.I. 2020/1236, reg. 2
C2S. 26 excluded (28.6.2022) by 1971 c. 77, s. 28PA(6)(a) (as inserted by Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36), s. 87(1), Sch. 7 para. 7; S.I. 2022/590, regs. 1(2), 2, Sch. 1 para. 22 (with Sch. 2 para. 8))
Commencement Information
I1S. 26 in force at 31.1.2008 for specified purposes by S.I. 2008/99, art. 2(k) (with art. 4)
I2S. 26 in force at 1.4.2008 in so far as not already in force by S.I. 2008/309, art. 4(a) (with art. 7)
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including: