REGISTRY No.51 23 DEC 1970
exhad fra is...A
Wednesday, December 16, 1970
18
60
Resu
301~
MKK 14/18
PREVENTION OF BRIBERY BILL 1970
Passed By Legislative Council With Amendments
*******
The Prevention of Bribery Bill 1970 was passed by the Legislative
Council today after some amendments introduced during the committee stage
including removal of the word "entertainment" from the definition of "advantage"
in Clause 2.
The Acting Attorney General, Mr. G.R. Sneath, told the Council
this particular amendment would mean it would not be a criminal offence to
accept entertainment, even if it were both offered and accepted for corrupt
reasons.
The Government had agreed to this change in Clause 2 because of
the widespread fears of the business community, of the kaifongs, and of
the Houng Yeo Kuk that to make the acceptance of entertainment into a criminal
offence was "to interfore unreasonably with the normal conduct of business
life."
It had also been argued, with some justification, that such a
prohibition would tend to cut down social contacts between government servants
and members of the public, and to "encourage an undesirable degree of separation
between them."
But Mr. Sneath made clear the acceptance of entertainment by government
servants would be governed by Establishment Regulations, as was the position
at present.
/The se
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.