MONEY LENDERS (AMENDMENT)
Ord. No. 69/88
A417
(b) a police officer of or above the rank of superin- tendent or any other police officer authorized in writing for the purposes of this section by a police officer of or above such rank,
has a reasonable suspicion that a money lender has commit- ted an offence against this Ordinance (in this section referred to as the "suspected offence"), he may enter any premises where the business of the money lender is being carried on and may demand the production of and inspect the money lender's licence or any books, accounts, documents or writings relating to any loan made by the money lender or relating to his business as a money lender, and may take notes, copies or extracts thereof or therefrom.
(2) Where pursuant to subsection (1) a police officer has entered any premises where the business of a money lender is being carried on, he may seize any books, accounts, docu- ments or writings relating to any loan made by the money lender or relating to his business as a money lender that the police officer reasonably believes to be related to the suspected offence.
(3) Any books, accounts, documents or writings seized under subsection (2) shall, as soon as practicable after such seizure, be delivered to the Commissioner of Police, or to some person nominated by him in that behalf, by the police officer who seized them.
(4) Where any books, accounts, documents or writings seized under subsection (2) are delivered in accordance with subsection (3) to the Commissioner of Police, or to some person nominated by him in that behalf, the Commissioner of Police or that person, as the case may be, shall, if no prosecution is instituted within 3 months after such delivery in respect of the suspected offence to which they relate, return, or arrange for the return of, such books, accounts, documents or writings to the money lender from whom they were so seized.".
25. Section 29 is amended-
Offences by
(a) in subsection (2) by adding "or in connection with any application money lenders
for an exemption under section 33B" after "of a licence";
(b) by adding after subsection (6)-
15.
"(6A) Any money lender who fails to retain a copy of a statement referred to in section 19(1) supplied to him under section 19(1A) during the continuance of the agreement to which that statement relates commits an offence.' (c) in subsection (8) by repealing "any of the provisions of section 26"
and substituting "section 26(1) or (2)";
(d) by adding after subsection (8)—
"(8A) Subject to subsection (8B), any money lender or other person who issues or publishes, or causes to be issued or published, any advertisement which contravenes section 26(3) commits an offence.