The U.K. government proposed a bill this week that it says would help with the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.  The Criminal Finances Bill - “one of the most significant changes” to the U.K. AML regime in a decade - is part of a broader action plan laid out in April that tackles holes in the U.K. legal regime against money laundering and terrorist financing.

As proposed, the bill would enable the government to file civil complaints to seize and forfeit the proceeds of crime, and it would require those suspected of corruption to explain their sources of wealth, in so-called unexplained wealth orders. The orders help facilitate the recovery of illicit wealth and stop criminals from using the U.K. to stash their corrupt proceeds, the statement says.

It would also create a criminal offense for companies that fail to stop their staff from facilitating tax evasion, and it would allow for disclosure of money-laundering investigations, as is already permitted for corruption and fraud investigations.