Snaresbrook Crown Court has ordered builder Vasile Hrusca to repay £190,577 within three months following a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) confiscation hearing on Tuesday 25 November 2025. The order carries a default term of two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment if the sum is not paid in time. The Insolvency Service led the financial investigation underpinning the order.
According to the Insolvency Service, Hrusca used more than £67,000 from his company in 2019 to settle a hire purchase agreement on an Audi RS6 acquired the previous year for £74,989, and sold seven items of plant subject to hire purchase with two banks, spending the proceeds on gambling. During confiscation proceedings, he disclosed that the car has been in Romania since early 2020.
Hrusca received an 18‑month prison sentence, suspended for two years, in January 2025. He was also disqualified as a company director for four years, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity. Companies House records show a disqualification order made on 17 January 2025 under section 2 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, effective from 7 February 2025 to 6 February 2029.
Under POCA, confiscation is a mandatory consideration in the Crown Court once requested by the prosecutor, with the aim of depriving offenders of the financial benefit of crime. Courts may allow time to pay-ordinarily up to three months, extendable on application to a maximum of six-and must set a default sentence if payment is not made. Interest accrues on unpaid amounts at the Judgments Act rate (currently 8% per annum).
A default sentence does not extinguish the debt: enforcement can continue after any term served in default. Confiscation orders are enforced as Crown Court fines through the magistrates’ courts; compliance orders and enforcement receivers may be used to realise assets. Where assets are overseas, prosecutors can seek assistance from foreign authorities to enforce recovery.
The Insolvency Service can bring prosecutions arising from corporate and personal insolvency and pursue confiscation using Accredited Financial Investigators (AFIs). Government policy confirms that designated public bodies’ staff may be accredited under POCA; the 2021 Order lists departments whose personnel can exercise AFI functions, including the Department for Business and Trade, of which the Insolvency Service is an executive agency.
Analysis: for directors, the case underlines that using company funds for personal assets ahead of insolvency can trigger both criminal liability and asset recovery. Disqualification orders under the Company Directors Disqualification Act can follow conviction or unfit conduct, with bans ranging from 2 to 15 years. During a ban, individuals cannot act as directors or take part in company management without court leave.
Hire purchase arrangements are central to the facts. In HP, title remains with the finance company until the final instalment is paid; selling HP goods without settlement is unauthorised because ownership has not passed. HMRC guidance distinguishes HP from credit sale agreements, in which ownership passes immediately.
Motor vehicles have a distinct statutory protection for some private buyers: the Hire‑Purchase Act 1964 can confer good title in limited circumstances where a private purchaser buys in good faith from someone in possession under HP. This protection does not generally extend to trade buyers or to non‑vehicle plant and machinery. Consumers’ guidance highlights the narrow scope of such protection.
Practical implications for boards and finance teams: once financial distress emerges, directors should avoid preferential payments that benefit themselves or connected parties, and should seek early professional advice. Where HP or finance is in place, lenders should be engaged promptly to agree compliant disposals; any sale proceeds must be applied in line with the agreement, otherwise criminal and civil exposure arises. This order also illustrates that POCA interest and default terms can make delays expensive even after conviction.
For creditors and asset purchasers, the priority is verification. Buyers of used plant or vehicles should check for outstanding finance, as HP title typically remains with the lender until full settlement. Creditors considering enforcement should be alert to POCA proceedings running alongside insolvency processes, which may affect how recoveries are prioritised and distributed.
The Insolvency Service has signalled a broader enforcement posture, including increased use of asset recovery. In 2024‑25 it reported higher criminal casework and ongoing expansion of intelligence and proceeds‑of‑crime capabilities, suggesting more frequent use of confiscation where misconduct is proven.