Tony Blair: "No intention" of abandoning legislation"

Police and customs can apply to seize the assets of convicted drug dealers and ministers have drawn up plans to expand the powers to cover all criminals.

The measures passed into Scottish law earlier this year and only came into effect in England and Wales at the beginning of this month.

The court ruled that such measures were unfair because they assumed guilt and forced criminals to prove they had earned money legitimately.

The ruling came as ministers were considering giving civil courts the power to confiscate assets from suspects, as well as convicted drug traffickers.

Tory home affairs spokesman David Lidington said it left the UK Government's confiscation policy in ruins.

However, while Mr Blair admitted the full implications of the ruling had not been examined, he insisted it would not stand in the way of the government's plans.

'We will proceed'

He said: "I do not believe it will stop us taking the measures we want against organised crime.

"I have got absolutely no intention whatsoever of abandoning the legislation that is coming forward.

"I do not believe we will have no choice. We will have a choice and we will proceed with the legislation."

The confiscation orders were introduced under the 1995 Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act.

Under the legislation the Crown can raise proceedings going back over a six-year period inviting a court to assume that property or cash has come from drugs.

After the controversial ruling, on Friday, the Crown was granted leave to appeal against the decision to the judicial committee on the Privy Council.

The largest amount clawed back by the Crown was �270,000 against heroin dealer Alexander Donnelly in 1997.