beschlagnahmte

Beschlagnahmte is the simple past tense form (Präteritum) of the German verb beschlagnahmen, meaning to seize or confiscate goods or assets by an authority. This form is used with subjects such as ich, er, sie, es, or other third-person references (ich beschlagnahmte, er beschlagnahmte). The corresponding past participle is beschlagnahmt, which forms the perfect tense with haben (hat beschlagnahmt). In everyday speech the perfect (hat beschlagnahmt) is more common, while the Präteritum appears frequently in written reports, legal documents, and news.

In legal contexts, beschlagnahmen refers to actions by authorities such as the police, customs, courts, or other public bodies to take custody of property to secure evidence, prevent disposal, or satisfy claims. Beschlagnahmte Gegenstände are items that have been seized. The act can be temporary, as in a vorläufige Beschlagnahme, or part of a longer procedure depending on judicial decisions. The related noun is Beschlagnahme, the formal act of confiscation; Beschlagnahmung is a synonymous or near-synonymous form used in some contexts.

Usage across German-speaking countries is similar, though procedural rules and terminology can vary by jurisdiction. The term is common in police reports, court decisions, and administrative notices, where it denotes a legally authorized seizure rather than voluntary surrender. Related concepts include Sicherstellung (seizure for safeguarding interests) and Vollstreckung (enforcement), which describe adjacent procedures in asset recovery or enforcement workflows.