Bona Vacantia division removes unclaimed estates list amid probate fraud investigation
The government legal department's Bona Vacantia division has temporarily removed its unclaimed estates list from the gov.uk website, following a BBC investigation into an alleged multi-million-pound fraud. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed that this removal is linked to ongoing investigations into fraudulent activity involving the list, which included details of approximately 6,000 unclaimed estates in England and Wales. In addition, bank accounts belonging to several companies associated with the suspected fraud have been suspended. The MoJ has not specified when the list will be restored to public access.