Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act

Marginal note:Limitation on orders for disclosure of information

• 60 (1) Despite the provisions of any other Act, except sections 49 and 50 of the Access to Information Act and sections 48 and 49 of the Privacy Act, an order for disclosure of information may be issued in respect of the Centre only under subsection (4) or section 60.1 or 60.3.

• Marginal note:Purpose of application

  (2) The Attorney General may, for the purposes of an investigation in respect of a money laundering offence or a terrorist activity financing offence, make an application under subsection (3) for an order for disclosure of information.

• Marginal note:Application

  (3) An application shall be made ex parte in writing to a judge and be accompanied by an affidavit sworn on the information and belief of the Attorney General — or a person specially designated by the Attorney General for that purpose — deposing to the following matters:

  • (a) the offence under investigation;

  • (b) the person or entity in relation to which the information or documents referred to in paragraph (c) are required;

  • (c) the type of information or documents — whether in written form, in the form of a report or record or in any other form — obtained by or on behalf of the Director in respect of which disclosure is sought;

  • (d) the facts relied on to justify the belief, on reasonable grounds, that the person or entity referred to in paragraph (b) has committed or benefited from the commission of a money laundering offence or a terrorist activity financing offence and that the information or documents referred to in paragraph (c) are likely to be of substantial value, whether alone or together with other material, to an investigation in respect of that offence;

  • (e) a summary of any information already received from the Centre in respect of the offence; and

  • (f) information respecting all previous applications brought under this section in respect of any person or entity being investigated for the offence.

• Marginal note:Order for disclosure of information

  (4) Subject to the conditions that the judge considers advisable in the public interest, the judge to whom an application is made may order the Director — or any person specially designated in writing by the Director for the purposes of this section — to allow a police officer named in the order to have access to and examine all information and documents to which the application relates or, if the judge considers it necessary in the circumstances, to produce the information and documents to the police officer and allow the police officer to remove them, where the judge is satisfied

  • (a) of the matters referred to in paragraph (3)(d); and

  • (b) that there are reasonable grounds for believing that it is in the public interest to allow access to the information or documents, having regard to the benefit likely to accrue to the investigation if the access is obtained.

  The order must be complied with within the period following the service of the order that the judge may specify.

• Marginal note:Execution in another province

  (5) A judge may, if the information or documents in respect of which disclosure is sought are in a province other than the one in which the judge has jurisdiction, issue an order for disclosure and the order may be executed in the other province after it has been endorsed by a judge who has jurisdiction in that other province.

• Marginal note:Service of order

  (6) A copy of the order shall be served on the person to whom it is addressed in the manner that the judge directs or as may be prescribed by rules of court.

• Marginal note:Extension of period for compliance with order

  (7) A judge who makes an order under subsection (4) may, on application of the Director, extend the period within which it is to be complied with.

• Marginal note:Objection to disclosure of information

  (8) The Director — or any person specially designated in writing by the Director for the purposes of this section — may object to the disclosure of any information or document in respect of which an order under subsection (4) has been made by certifying orally or in writing that it should not be disclosed on the ground that

  • (a) the Director is prohibited from disclosing the information or document by any bilateral or international treaty, convention or other agreement to which the Government of Canada is a signatory respecting the sharing of information related to a money laundering offence or a terrorist activity financing offence, or an offence that is substantially similar to either offence;

  • (b) a privilege is attached by law to the information or document;

  • (c) the information or document has been placed in a sealed package pursuant to law or an order of a court of competent jurisdiction;

  • (c.1) disclosure of the information or document would be injurious to national security; or

  • (d) disclosure of the information or document would not, for any other reason, be in the public interest.

• Marginal note:Determination of objection

  (9) An objection made under subsection (8) may be determined, on application, in accordance with subsection (10), by the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, or by any other judge of that Court that the Chief Justice may designate to hear those applications.

• Marginal note:Judge may examine information

  (10) A judge who is to determine an objection may, if the judge considers it necessary to determine the objection, examine the information or document in relation to which the objection is made. The judge shall grant the objection and order that disclosure be refused if the judge is satisfied of any of the grounds mentioned in subsection (8).

• Marginal note:Limitation period

  (11) An application under subsection (9) shall be made within 10 days after the objection is made or within such greater or lesser period as the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, or any other judge of that Court that the Chief Justice may designate to hear those applications, considers appropriate in the circumstances.

• Marginal note:Appeal to Federal Court of Appeal

  (12) An appeal lies from a determination under subsection (9) to the Federal Court of Appeal.

• Marginal note:Limitation period for appeal

  (13) An appeal under subsection (12) shall be brought within 10 days after the date of the determination appealed from or within such further time as the Federal Court of Appeal considers appropriate in the circumstances.

• Marginal note:Special rules for hearings

  (14) An application under subsection (9) or an appeal brought in respect of that application shall be heard in private and, on the request of the person objecting to the disclosure of the information or documents, be heard and determined in the National Capital Region described in the schedule to the National Capital Act.

• Marginal note:Ex parte representations

  (15) During the hearing of an application under subsection (9) or an appeal brought in respect of that application, the person who made the objection in respect of which the application was made or the appeal was brought shall, on the request of that person, be given the opportunity to make representations ex parte.

• Marginal note:Copies

  (16) Where any information or document is examined or provided under subsection (4), the person by whom it is examined or to whom it is provided or any employee of the Centre may make, or cause to be made, one or more copies of it and any copy purporting to be certified by the Director to be a copy made under this subsection is evidence of the nature and content of the original information or document and has the same probative force as the original information or document would have had if it had been proved in the ordinary way.

• Marginal note:Definitions

  (17) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

  Attorney General

  Attorney General means the Attorney General as defined in section 2 of the Criminal Code. (procureur général)

  judge

  judge means a provincial court judge as defined in section 2 of the Criminal Code or a judge as defined in subsection 462.3(1) of that Act. (juge)

  police officer

  police officer means any officer, constable or other person employed for the preservation and maintenance of the public peace. (policier)