VANCOUVER – Lawyers for a British Columbia businesswoman acquitted of human trafficking have written to the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office asking that it drop court action to seize her multimillion-dollar home.

But the fact is that the provincial agency can continue the civil lawsuit to claim the West Vancouver home owned by Mumtaz Ladha, with or without a conviction.

Her lawyer, Casey Leggett, says the judge at Ladha’s criminal trial made it clear that she believes the allegations against Ladha were false, and he expects the claim on the house to be dropped — but it won’t be automatic.

The forfeiture office filed the claim for the $4-million home owned by Ladha and her two daughters two years ago, after she was charged with human trafficking and other violations of the federal Immigration Act.

Micheal Vonn of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says Ladha’s case is a startling example of a problem with the province’s aggressive program to seize assets.

Vonn says the provincial law is being used to prosecute people a second time — and many are settling just because they can’t afford the court fight.