In 2023, the French justice system seized €1.444 billion from offenders during criminal investigations – a record, up 87% year-on-year. The Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC), created in 2011, plays a central role in managing this little-known aspect of criminal justice. Its new director since January, Vanessa Perrée, wishes to further increase the trend by raising awareness among the criminal justice system.
Vanessa Perrée: More than half, or €734 million, are financial assets, such as bank accounts, receivables, or life insurance. Then comes real estate (nearly €605 million) and cash (€100 million).
There's no doubt that this case had an impact since it alone accounted for a third of the seizures. Every year, one or more unusual investigations can lead to the seizure of significant amounts.
But even without this case, the numbers have increased steadily since 2020, when "only" €593 million was seized. The small amounts that police officers seize – €50 here, €100 there for an unauthorized street vendor – ultimately represent a significant cash flow for us.
A convincing example is the increase in cryptoasset seizures: the number of cases has gone from just one in 2014 to 42 in 2023. Each case involved large wallets, mainly in Bitcoin and Ethereum, but also in USDT (Tether), Monero, or Tron. In 2023, one case led to the seizure of the equivalent of €17 million.
Seizure is only a provisional and conservatory measure, which allows assets to be kept under surveillance while investigations are carried out. However, a court judgment is required for assets to be definitively confiscated from offenders. This is not systematic, in some cases, confiscations are not ordered due to insufficient evidence.
There is also a time gap between seizure and court ruling, which explains why the amounts confiscated in 2023 are eight times lower than the seizures.
Assets confiscated from offenders go to those who fight crime and protect victims, creating a virtuous circle. Last year, we redistributed over €272 million of confiscated assets: €97 million to compensate defendants, 110 million allocated to the general budget of the state, €50 million was paid to the Interministerial Mission for Combating Drugs and Addictive Behaviors, and €3.8 million went to non-profits that fight procuring and human trafficking.
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