Commentary on Sections Consent Section 335: Appropriate consent
489.Section 335 defines the parameters of "appropriate consent" for the purposes of the authorised disclosure provisions. A key element of this section is the specification of time limits within which a constable or customs officer must respond to suspicious transaction reports in circumstances where a consent decision is required. It specifies that consent decisions must be made within 7 working days. If nothing is heard within that time, then the discloser can go ahead with an otherwise prohibited act without an offence being committed. If consent is withheld within the 7 working days, then the constable or customs officer has a further 31 calendar days in which to take further action such as seeking a court order to restrain the assets in question. Again if nothing further is heard after the end of the 31-day period, then the discloser can proceed with the transaction with no risk of committing an offence.