Updated forfeiture guidance
The Cabinet Office has published updated guidance in relation to honours forfeiture that applies to deceased recipients accused of criminal acts.
Today the Cabinet Office has published updated guidance in relation to honours forfeiture that applies to deceased recipients accused of criminal acts. Orders of Chivalry are living orders and individuals cease to be a member when they die. They therefore cannot be removed posthumously.
This new policy allows for a formal statement to be published in instances where forfeiture proceedings would have been initiated had the deceased recipient been living and convicted in a court of law. The Honours Forfeiture Committee believes that it should reflect the seriousness of the situation when honours recipients are accused of criminal acts after their death.
The policy also introduces new ‘hard triggers’ for forfeiture. Anybody convicted of a sexual offence will now be automatically considered for forfeiture regardless of the sentence they receive. Additionally, anybody found to have committed such an offence following a ‘trial of the facts’ will also be considered automatically.