30
Miscellaneous Matters (Part V).
34. Clause 27 enables the court to report to the Attorney General (for him to consider what action can be taken) frivolous, false or groundless allegations.
35. Clause 28 empowers the Supreme Court and the District Court to award costs to a defendant who is acquitted of an offence under Part II, up to a maximum of ten thousand dollars. Magistrates already have a similar power, up to a maximum of five hundred dollars.
36. Clause 29 makes it an offence to make a false report of the commission of an offence under the Ordinance or otherwise to mislead a police officer or person named in an authorization given under clause 13.
37. Clause 30 prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of the fact that a particular person is subject to investigation or any details of the investigation. Such a disclosure, by alerting the suspect, can often frustrate an investigation.
38. Clause 31 follows Cap. 215 by prohibiting the institu- tion of a prosecution for any offence under Part II without the prior consent of the Attorney General, but permits the preliminary steps of arrest and remand on custody or on bail to be taken before consent is given.
39. Clause 32 empowers the court, on the trial for an offence under Part II, to convict the accused of any of the other offences under that Part, if the evidence justifies this. Where there is a variance between the particulars of the offence charged and the evidence adduced, the court may make the necessary alterations in the particulars. These powers are similar to those of mag- istrates under section 27 of the Magistrates Ordinance (Cap. 227).
40. Clause 33 disqualifies persons convicted of offences under Part II from being registered as electors or voting at Urban Council elections or from being members of any public body for a period of 7 years, and clause 35 deals with the amendment of the Schedule of public bodies.
41. Clause 36 repeals the Prevention of Corruption Ordinance and makes consequential amendments to the Urban Council Ordinance. Offences committed prior to the repeal, however, can still be prosecuted under the repealed Ordinance despite its repeal. Clause 34 will enable the investigation and allied powers contained in this Bill to be used in the investigation of such offences.