Other duties

Preventive measures

The enforcement authorities enforce preventive measures ordered by the courts, such as preventive seizures in civil matters and sequestration in criminal matters.

The purpose of preventive measures is to secure damages or receivables that may be imposed by the court in the future. For example, sequestration can secure possible compensations or forfeitures ordered at a later stage in criminal matters.

The enforcement of a preventive measure requires the applicant to deposit a security with the enforcement officer for the damages the defendant may incur from the preventive measure. Correspondingly, the defendant can lodge a preventive security to prevent the enforcement of the preventive measure.

The seizure of property is subject to the same rules and has the same legal consequences as distraint. Seized property may not be sold or pledged, for example.

Sanctions

The enforcement authorities enforce certain international sanctions. These are the administrative freezing of terrorist funds (Act on the Freezing of Funds with a View to Combating Terrorism) as well as freezing funds under sanctions issued by the EU or UN (Act on the Fulfilment of Certain Obligations of Finland as a Member of the United Nations and of the European Union).

Additional information on financial sanctions and freezing decisions is available from the Financial Supervisory Authority’s website.

Other duties

The enforcement authorities are also tasked with the enforcement of court-imposed fines converted to imprisonment. In such cases, the enforcement authority will send a final demand for payment that the person can pay to avoid imprisonment.

The enforcement authorities also enforce other obligations imposed by the courts, such as obligations to take measures, relinquish property or to desist from something.