Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential. Restricted. Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
..In Confidence
DRAFT LETTER
To:-
Mr A Ellis
20 Bishops Close Ham Common Richmond Surrey
Type 1 +
FROM
Mr A Royle
MP for Richmond
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
I have received your telegram of 13 August
about the Godber case.
As you know, Mr Godber has been charged in
Hong Kong under Section 10 of the Prevention of
Bribery Ordinance. This section makes it an offence
for a public servant to be in possession of
pecuniary resources disproportionate to his official
emoluments, unless he can give a satisfactory
explanation. There is, however, no similar offence
under United Kingdom law. Extradition of fugitive
offenders from the United Kingdom to Hong Kong is
regulated by Act of Parliament namely the Fugitive
Offenders Act 1967, and can only be effected in
accordance with the provisions of that Act. The
Act provides that a person may not be extradited
from Britain for an offence unless that offence is
also an offence under United Kingdom law.
Consequently Mr Godber cannot be extradited unless
the Hong Kong authorities/can produce evidence of
an extraditable offence, jeg the actual taking of a
this evidence is lacking
bribe. So far,
though it
Sunderstand it,
is being energetically sought.