1. Purpose and scope

This agreement governs the release of recovered funds held under case reference ICPO/2026/CA/0458/GB to the verified claimant, Melissa Anne (Australia). It sets out the regulatory steps that must be completed before value is transferred.

2. Status of recovered funds

The sum of AUD $30,000.00 has been traced, identified and preserved. It is held in the originating jurisdiction pending release. The amount is not disputed and is not subject to appeal. Release is administrative, not discretionary.

3. Regulatory framework

Because restitution crosses a jurisdictional boundary, the transfer is classified as a cross-border restitution settlement and attracts the following mandatory stages:

• Identity and address verification of the claimant (completed)
• Source-of-loss substantiation against the case file (completed)
• Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and regulatory clearance of the outbound value (outstanding)
• Lodgement of the settlement instruction with the originating institution (outstanding)

4. AML and regulatory clearance — non-negotiable

All cross-border restitution above the reporting threshold must pass AML and regulatory clearance before value leaves the originating jurisdiction. This is not a formality and cannot be waived by the claimant, the case officer, or the receiving bank.

Clearance is performed by the jurisdiction's appointed clearing agent, which certifies that the outbound value is not the proceeds of crime and that the destination account is eligible to receive it. Until clearance is certified, the instruction remains pending and no value moves.

5. Why clearance is settled in cryptocurrency

You elected to receive restitution by standard international bank transfer. That route settles through the correspondent banking network, and the clearing agent's fee for that route is settled in Bitcoin (BTC) for the following reasons:

• Speed. Card and wire settlement of the fee introduces 3–7 additional banking days. Settlement in BTC confirms within hours and prevents the instruction from expiring.
• Single-hop settlement. The clearing agent is not a bank. Settling in BTC avoids a second correspondent hop and the double conversion that would otherwise apply.
• Direct reconciliation. Each payment carries a verifiable on-chain reference, allowing the clearance certificate to be matched to the case file without ambiguity.
• Directive. The court-appointed receiver has directed that all clearance fees in this matter be settled on-chain for audit purposes.

This is why the fee cannot be deducted from the principal, and why it must be paid separately.

6. Release follows compliance, not the calendar

Release is conditional. No fixed calendar date is assigned to it. Value moves once every outstanding item on the file is cleared and the clearance certificate has been issued.

On certification, the instruction is released to the correspondent network and the credit is expected to land in the nominated account within 5 to 7 business days. All periods in this agreement are expressed in business days and exclude weekends and public holidays in both jurisdictions.

7. Payment window for the clearance fee

The clearance fee is due within 21 business days of the date the fee schedule is issued. The fee schedule in this matter was issued on 24 October 2026.

Payment is accepted at any point within that window. Because release follows compliance rather than a date, settling the fee sooner advances the file directly — and settling it later delays release by the same margin. Payment made after the window does not invalidate the claim.

8. Claimant obligations

• Provide accurate beneficiary details and keep them unchanged during settlement
• Complete clearance payment within the 21 business day window
• Retain proof of payment until funds are credited
• Do not lodge a duplicate claim in another jurisdiction

9. Nature of the clearance fee

The clearance fee is separate from, and additional to, the principal sum. It is not deducted from the AUD $30,000.00 and is not refundable once the certificate is issued. It is not a commission and is not calculated as a percentage of the recovery.

10. Exchange rate applied to the clearance fee

The fee is denominated in AUD and settled in BTC. The BTC amount payable is calculated from the market rate at the time the payment page is loaded, and is displayed alongside the AUD equivalent. Small movements in the rate between viewing and sending are immaterial to clearance; the certificate is issued against the AUD value.

11. What release does not include

Release covers the principal sum only. Any receiving-bank inward remittance charge is a matter between the claimant and her own bank. No further fee is anticipated between clearance and credit.

12. Confidentiality

Case material is law-enforcement sensitive. The claimant is asked not to disclose portal credentials or case correspondence to third parties during settlement.

13. Acceptance

By accepting below, the claimant confirms she has read and understood these terms and agrees to complete the outstanding clearance stage within the window at clause 7.