SECRET

essential action had to be taken before 24 September,

now.

that could be pursued here. We should ask Hong Kong

to look at the Declaration in the light of the latter

point.

6. Sir M MacLehose asked whether the Declaration

had to be accepted or rejected as a whole. Mr Holland

was not intended to lateral

be a formal agreeme

said that was not the ease it came into force

automatically provided its terms were maintained.t

This mainly concerned MSP. He personally thought the

recipients would find it an attractive offer.

Sir M MacLehose said he would send a telegram to Hong

Kong asking for their reactions to the Declaration.

MR GODBER AND THE BLAIR-KERR REPORT

7.

The meeting was joined by Mr Rushford and

Mr Wright.

Mr Royle said we had been having a look at the

possibility of amending the Fugitive Offenders Act.

Contained

because

Thes

But we had

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

* worked as a double criminality provision, which had

been put in in 1967 to take eccount of the position of

had the power to make their own laws independent Commonwealth countries. We could alter it which might be quite different from ours.

This need not basically apply to because Hong Kong was a Crown Colony.

the Dependent Territories where we had some control over the legislation, and we could change the relevant provision by Oder in Courical. One probles was, however, that the the Protection

agreed to the Frevention of Bribery Ordinance

لمساء

the advice of the Law Offieersten

that pe

would have"

einst

understanding

defend It în Parliament

It would only be possible to get a

personally would be willing to chang. charge in the fugitive Offenders Act through with de support or

the Act if the Opposition agreed. He would therefore the Onposition. He intadded to

talk to the Attorney General and the Whips, and then

the Opposition, He was advised that to amend the Act was amended it could be made to apply to D. Godber without could make it possible to send Mr Godber back even the amendment being retrospective in Sam. This was important

without making the amendment retrospective.

/Sir M MacLehose

SECRET

sectón

of

of Bribery Ordinance under which 17. Godber

was charged in Mos Kong, was it's eff

oper to coticism. The Law Officers had advised against it and he had had to undertake to defend it in Partanent 'it

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