Changes to how long assets can be frozen under NSL
The government has made amendments to the National Security Law which state that assets frozen by the authorities in connection with a national security case will remain frozen until the legal proceedings are completed. Article 43 of the National Security Law gives local authorities the right to freeze property relating to national security crimes, so they can be confiscated if necessary, so that such properties aren’t used to finance national security offences or prejudice ongoing proceedings. It was also stipulated that the duration of the freezing notice could not exceed two years, and could only be extended by a court if it was established that there was no way the investigation could have been completed before the notice expired. Now, amendments have been gazetted and come into force, under which freezing notices will remain valid until all proceedings related to the case have ended. "The amendments are technical in nature and the scope of the proposed amendments is extremely narrow: it only aims at making clear provisions in respect of the validity period of freezing notice, without changing the basis or principle for issuing such notice," a government spokesman said. The spokesman added the amendments will enable the government to continue to fight acts endangering national security while at the same time protect the property right of the suspects and defendants.