CONFIDENTIAL
organisations and businesses involved in the PIRA finance structure
in Northern Ireland. This intelligence, now held on a sophisticated
and highly classified purpose-designed relational database computer,
enables the TFU to identify the best targets for financial
investigation with a view either to prosecution or civil proceedings.
7.
The Unit complements the RUC's specialist Anti-racketeering
Squad C1(3) with whom it has developed an excellent and productive
working relationship. The recently enacted Northern Ireland
(Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 makes provision, in section 57 and
Schedule 5, for the Secretary of State to appoint 'Authorised
Investigators' to assist the RUC in complex financial
investigations. An 'Authorised Investigator' may be any person
except a police officer and in practice it is expected that in most
instances those appointed will be TFU investigators. An Authorised
Investigator may require any person to attend for questioning at any
place, at any time and to bring with him any material which the
authorised investigator believes to be relevant to his
investigation. In common with other terrorist offences in NI, the
trial of any offence charged as a consequence of the use of the
Authorised Investigator provisions will be before a judge sitting
without a jury (to avoid intimidation of jurors). The NI (EP) Act
1991 also makes provision for the confiscation of personal wealth
that a convicted individual has derived from his involvement in
terrorist financial activities, (complementing existing provision
for the forfeiture of terrorist assets). The TFU has already put
the new investigative powers into action.
23/1597
CONFIDENTIAL
On
5