“C”—Contd.
Powers of search, and to obtain assistance.
Further powers of search and seizure.
Surrender of travel document.
16. (1) Any police officer of or above the rank of senior inspector and any Crown servant conducting an investigation into an offence alleged or suspected to have been committed under this Ordinance—
(a) may apply to any Crown servant or any other person for assistance in the exercise of
his powers or the discharge of his duties under this Ordinance;
(b) may for the purposes of such investigation, with the written consent of the Attorney General and with such assistance as may be necessary, enter and search any office, registry or other room of or used by a public body:
Provided that the Governor may by order exempt any office, registry or room from entry and search under the provisions of this paragraph.
(2) Any person who—
(a) when requested under paragraph (a) of subsection (1) to render assistance, without
reasonable excuse neglects or fails to render such assistance; or
(b) obstructs or resists any police officer or Crown servant in the exercise of the powers
of entry and search conferred by paragraph (b) of subsection (1),
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of twenty thousand dollars and to imprisonment for one year.
17. (1) If it appears to the Attorney General, or to the Director, that there is reasonable cause to believe that in any place other than an office, registry or other room of or used by a public body there is any document or thing containing any evidence of the commission of an offence under this Ordinance, the Attorney General or the Director may, by warrant directed to any police officer, empower such police officer to enter such place, by force if necessary, and there to search for, seize and detain any such document or thing.
(2) Without prejudice to any other law relating to entry and search, the chambers of counsel or the office of a solicitor are not subject to entry and search under this section or any warrant issued under this section except in the course of investigating an offence under this Ordinance alleged or suspected to have been committed by that counsel or that solicitor, as the case may be, or by his clerk or any servant employed by him in such chambers or office.
(3) Any person who obstructs or resists the Director or any police officer in the exercise of the powers of entry and search under this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of twenty thousand dollars and to imprisonment for one year.
17A. (1) A magistrate may, on the application of the Director, by written notice require a person who is the subject of an investigation in respect of an offence alleged or suspected to have been committed by him under this Ordinance to surrender to the Director any travel document in his possession.
(2) A notice under subsection (1) shall be served personally on the person to whom it is addressed.
(3) A person on whom a notice under subsection (1) is served shall comply with such notice forthwith.
(4) If a person on whom a notice under subsection (1) has been served fails to comply with the notice forthwith, he may thereupon be arrested and taken before a magistrate.
(5) Where a person is taken before a magistrate under subsection (4), the magistrate shall, unless such person thereupon complies with the notice under subsection (1), by warrant commit him to prison there to be safely kept—
(a) until the expiry of the period of twenty-eight days from the date of his committal to
prison as aforesaid; or
(b) until such person complies with the notice under subsection (1) and a magistrate, by order in that behalf, orders and directs the Commissioner of Prisons to discharge such person from prison (which order shall be sufficient warrant for the Commissioner of Prisons so to do),
whichever occurs first.
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