A Canberra court has frozen almost $2 million worth of property, cars and cash linked to police investigations into an alleged fraud and two drug matters.
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The office of the Director of Public Prosecutions made the applications before Justice Richard Refshauge in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday morning.
Justice Refshauge granted an application to restrain more than $1 million worth of assets belonging to four men who are currently under investigation for the alleged fraud matter.
The court heard assets included properties in Pearce and Ngunnawal, five cars, three motorbikes, a boat and a trailer owned by Timothy McLeod, Donald Tawanda Savanhu, Stephen Phillip Evans and Joshua Dean Leighton.
No charges have been laid against these men.
Under law, police can seek to have cash, property and other assets restrained from people who are under investigation or have been convicted of criminal offences.
It is the first time the territory's Criminal Assets Investigation Team has made a civil application for the court's permission for a restraint order.
Police also sought restraints on property linked to two separate drug investigations.
The court did not hear at what stage these investigations were up to or if any pleas had been entered.
Justice Refshauge froze more than $960,000 worth of assets belonging to Abdul Karim Nikro.
The man's Crace property, a Toyota Hilux, a Mercedes Benz and more than $200,000 cash are now under the control of the ACT Public Trustee, the court heard.
Prosecutors were unsuccessful in a separate forfeiture application in relation to assets owned by Scott William Warren.
Warren's defence lawyer, Michael Kukulies-Smith is set to challenge that application on human rights grounds.
He said the DPP was acting unlawfully and it amounted to a "double punishment" for his client.
The matter will return to court on November 26.
