Private Investigators are quite well known in media for sitting in cars with binoculars on long stake outs. This is in fact true, but we don’t just undertake surveillance to catch a cheating spouse. We are often engaged by family lawyers to undertake surveillance when family law proceedings have commenced, when there is a major dispute between a husband and wife, or their divorce has turned UGLY. Especially, when children are involved.
Private investigators often jump in to undertake surveillance on a spouse to prove their capacity to work when spousal maintenance is in disagreement; we can prove alternate and undisclosed sources of income such as cash jobs, and can also track day to day activities like capturing an ex-spouse’s dating life or habits, gambling addictions as well as alcoholic consumption.
We note surveillance can expose breaches of Consent or Court Orders in relation to Parenting.
Surveillance evidence can be the tipping point in a case.
Evidence gathered can be used in Court for not only parenting disputes but it can be weaponised to expose a spouse being unforthcoming in their financial disclosure – resulting in potential contempt of Court.
This leads into our next service, BACKGROUND CHECKS and HIDDEN ASSET Investigations.
Hidden assets are one of the primary concerns of family law clients. Until a property settlement agreement is reached and formalised, parties to a separation have a duty of full and frank disclosure to the other side on an ongoing basis until finalisation. This disclose includes but is not limited to income streams, bank accounts, assets and financial circumstances.
Often in UGLY divorces, when it comes to finances, one side, either the husband or wife decides to hide and cipher money away from the other. This usually occurs when one spouse catches wind that a relationship separation is about to ensue.
Private Investigators at National Inquiry Agency are well equipped to assist family lawyers in confirming Trust Structures, Company Structures, Bank Accounts, Real Property within Australia and Overseas, and associations to other individuals utilised to hide funds. We also screen business interests and associates, confirm liabilities and debts as well as other information.
We undertake this task by assessing assets that were present during the relationship that were quickly sold, and finding a pattern of these ‘’funds’’ not being transferred for the purchase of another asset. We then look at the opposite pattern in relatives or associates of the spouse, to see if they have suddenly acquired new found wealth.
We also uncover the creation of new trust structures or new business interests, and investments into bitcoin or other schemes. We can work with family lawyers to confirm emptying of business accounts and declaring of bankruptcy, showing a husband or wife attending the ATM on a frequent basis to withdraw cash, or that the other side takes on additional loans from family members or business associates to lower their net equity/asset pool.
Having a background check to tie all the associates and asset pools together, looking at it in totality is beneficial in family law. We find that this is an ideal perspective that our clients appreciate.
If you need help with a case, feel free to contact one of our Investigators at National Inquiry Agency, we have operatives primarily based in Sydney, but also have contacts interstate and overseas.
