:
t
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1
Telephone 01- 930 8440 Ext 632
FA Osborn Esq
Royal Commission on Standards of
conduct in Public Life,
20 Grosvenor Hill
LONDON Wlx OHX.
Your reference
EVD 21/1/1
Our reference
HKK 14/1
Date
14 April (175
LAST
REL
NEX
REF.
(38) (112)
100
Dear Osborn,
1.
I am sorry it has taken slightly longer than I hoped to obtain the information requested in your letter of 3 February. The Hong Kong Government have explained that they delayed replying to us while the Independent Commission Against Corruption's Annual Report for 1974 was being printed.
2. I now enclose some papers which set out the background to the formation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the way the Commission operates. These are:
(a) the Second Report of the Commission of Inquiry
under Sir Alastair Blair-Kerr of September 1973, at Annex C of which is a copy of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance 1971;
(b) Executive Council memorandum XCC(74)4 Prevention
of Bribery (Amendment) Bill 1975 - which summarises the purpose of the amendments to the Ordinance purposed by Sir Alastair Blair-Kerr;
(c) a copy of the Prevention of Bribery (Amendment)
Ordinance No 9/74 which amends the 1971 Ordinance;
(d) a copy of the Independent Commission Against
Corruption Ordinance (No 7/74) enacted on 15 February 1974, which provides for the establishment of the I.C.A.C.; and
(e) the annual report by the Commissioner of the I.C.A.C.
for 1974 which summarises the the constitution, terms of reference and method of operating of the Commission.
I would particularly draw your attention to paragraphs 6 38 of Sir Alastair Blair-Kerr's report in which he refers to the history of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and to paragraphs 120-167 in which he suggests amendments to the Ordinance. These suggested amendments are touched on again in the Executive Council memorandum.
3.
We have noted your special interest in "the law of corruption
/in Hong