David Corker comments on the Law Commission’s recommendations to reform search warrant laws in Global Investigations Review

“London-based lawyers have welcomed the Law Commission’s recommendations to modernise and streamline search warrant law in England and Wales, but said that some proposals need further refining.

“There are 175 different statutory provisions governing the law on search warrants in England and Wales, and lawyers have welcomed a commission proposal to place all existing provisions in one single statute. David Corker at Corker Binning said that the proposal is “long overdue” as the current system is too complex and too piecemeal.

“Corker said that under the current system law enforcement authorities including the SFO and the National Crime Agency have to devote time and resources to check and recheck warrants for fear of follow-on challenges. “Every important fraud case tends to result in judicial review challenges to search warrants, not because the claims will succeed, but as a way of buying time,” he said.”

Read the full article in Global Investigations Review here, behind paywall.