Germany on Wednesday said it would crack down on organised crime by making it easier to seize the cash, luxury vehicles or properties of suspected criminals.
“We want to really hurt the criminals,” said Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil about measures meant to target groups behind drug trafficking, financial crime and money laundering.
“Often, the loss of a luxury car or villa hurts criminals more than a prison sentence,” said Klingbeil, who is also vice chancellor, adding that the reforms would help “strengthen citizens’ trust in our justice system”.
In future, law enforcement authorities will reverse the burden of proof, forcing suspects to provide evidence that assets were legally purchased, he said, calling the plans a “game-changer”.
Concern has grown in Germany that family-run crime networks, often called “clans”, have gained influence, helped by strict data protection rules and regional police forces sometimes not working together smoothly.
The far-right opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD), leading in some polls, has accused successive governments of being too soft on clans and linked their proliferation to overly liberal immigration policy.
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Klingbeil, promising to promote co-operation between police forces and to spend more on investigating money laundering, said the finance ministry was “declaring war on organised crime” alongside the justice and interior ministries.
“We are breaking down departmental silos and concentrating on what really counts: strengthening safety in our country,” he said, adding that the federal police and customs authorities would be able to share data and “evaluate it using AI”.
Speaking alongside Klingebil, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the government would create a central data store to bring together information from a range of state and federal crime-fighting authorities for the first time in Germany’s history.
“This was something that was previously unthinkable in the political arena, but is absolutely essential,” he said. “It is a gigantic step forward”.
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