TNAG-0084-FCO40-120-Bribery-and-corruption-of-government-officials-1968 — Page 36

-2-

This recourse to the law is generally unsatisfactory, being a long drawn out process and made even a lønger drawn out precess by the lawyers and their clerks who have s♦ little normal business

to act this way. Even if the culprit is eventually caught and the case gees against against him, the most that can happen to him is that he is sent to the debtor's prison, and this at the plaintiff's expense ($7.00 per day). The law now says that

By the use of the maximum detention for amounts exceeding $5,000.00 is 12 months. blackmarket methods, one can usually get out after one or two weeks. There are many different ideas used to bbtain the release of the culprit.

reoever the losses through the medium of the courts.

1

The local people think that the Government and all the lawyers are in collusion and have a working agreement whereby one does the monkey-business and the other closes its eyes

If any lawyer or his clerk is involved in any shady er underhand monkey business, it is almost impossible for the ordinary people to catch them without aid and assistance from the Government. It is also useless to try and get the

It is this type. Law Society to take any action against one of their own class. of lawyer, lawyer's clerk and Government servant that kill without the use of weapons.

When squeeze is paid out, the method invariably used is to have various restaurant owners act as the pay off men, and it is extremely difficult to catch

If the . them.

Both the police and health inspectors are paidệsff in this manner. restaurant people de no co-operate and assist as required, they are visited by gangsters who eat and refuse to pay and one occasion cause enough trouble te frighten customers away. If police are called, they always arrive must too late to be of any used. In any case, the police and health inspectors engaged in this kind of underhand business always work together.

} :

In nearly all cases of squeeze, the people concerned are mush tee frightened to complain. Anyway ne action can be taken without preof. The police should check the manner of living, the bank accounts of these people and their wives ( and their mothers and fathers), check to see if they have, safe, deposit boxes and what is kept in them. The manner in which certain people live is an indication of their means, but mainly these engaged in underhand business tend to live well beyond their means. Property and bhures, geld bars, etc., etc., in their wife's name should be investigated and a satisfactory explanation required as to their prigin.

There is another aspect of the law that should be lockeduinte, and that is the way the court beiliffs do their duty. These persons werk very closely with lawyers and with the lawyers' clerks. It is common knowledge that they take money from both sides. They, of course, de net collect this money temselves but are said to use the daily paid temporary watch to collect the payoffs (for a percentage cut en the amount collected). This payoff is also usually done through the same type of teahouses or restaurants. These baliffs have it made; they get a cut back from the plaintiff side and another from the defendant whenever they give him the tipeff, enabling him te be missing and unavailable when they come looking for him to serve a writ ar to take him inte custody. This is possible because of a shert- age of staff which requires that a booking of at least two weeks is needed to engage the services of a bailiff.

Butchers and meat shop owners are required to pay at least $500 each of the

it four seasons. If less than $500 is offered they are told that even to buy salt, They are is net salty enough as there are sa many in the department to be paid. then told to keep the money and ne ene needs to pay anything and no ene ever asked them for anything. Their trouble comes later as a matter of course and naturally they do not offer tes little next season.

When

There are certain people in the Government who are very well educated. information and documents, forms, instructions etc., need to be translated for the benefit of the public, these people make very certain that this information is never read by the general public by a very simple method--- this is by ensuring that the translation frem English to Chinese is of such high standard as te be way above the general public and to be utterly unreadable except by those with higher university education in Chinese.

Gamblers pay the police approximately $1,000 per day per area or establishment If a house er establishment is raided, it is always known in advance and arrangements made to put in a ringer to take the place of the real gambling bøse. For this he gets upwards of $1,000 if he goes to jail.

.