CANOE wife Anne Darwin will walk away from prison with a £500,000 fortune,thanks to a blunder by British lawyers.
UK authorities insisted she and husband John would never profit from their fake death scam.
But a Sun investigation in Panama has discovered she is about to pocket ALL the cash they salted away in the Central American bolthole, and nothing can be done to stop her.
The Darwins' assets in Britain were frozen by a Proceeds of Crime hearing.
But the Crown Prosecution Service admits the same legal move was NOT made in Panama - where the pair have £144,000 in three HSBC accounts, a £62,000 flat and a plot of land worth £232,000.
Lawyers felt it was unnecessary as Mrs Darwin, 58, agreed to repay all the cash at Leeds Crown Court in 2009.
But Rosendo Miranda, one of Panama's top criminal lawyers, said it was "remarkable" they were trusting her. He said: "The normal course would be to initiate proceedings here to stop her accessing her assets.
"If no petition has been made, she is entitled to the money in her accounts and her other assets. It's a big mistake."
The CPS said it was "pursuing" a request for HSBC to repatriate the cash.
But international trade expert Dr Hugh Metcalf of Newcastle University warned: "HSBC are not going to give away the money unless they are ordered to. If Mrs Darwin ever makes a claim on that money she could make life very difficult."
The Darwins made £679,194 from pensions and life insurance payouts after Mr Darwin, 60, faked his death in a canoeing accident in 2002. They moved to Panama, but were jailed after returning home in 2007. Mr Darwin was freed last month. Mrs Darwin is due out next month.
