TNAG-0406-FCO40-452-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-the-Hong-Kong-polic-1973 — Page 113

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all the evidence points to the fact that one and all of them did their best to obtain sufficient evidenct to bring Godber to trial at the earliest opportunity, and certainly before he was due to retire in July. Indeed, the time factor was one

of the considerations which ruled out any question of their invoking section 14 of the Ordinance. And when one thinks about it, the suggestion of a conspiracy involving 2 or more of these police officers and lawyers is ridiculous. If the intention was to let Godbor go scot free, why did the Commissioner ever cause the investigation to be initiated in the first place? Why did he reject Goäber's request to advance the date of his retirement to 30th June? Why did Ir. Dawson or r. borrin or some of his colleagues not simply delay matters for a few weeks? Why did someone not tip-off Godber that his flat was about

to be searched? That would have enabled him to destroy, or

conceal, the greater part of the evidence in support of the police case against him. Clearly, he had not the faintest suspicion that his flat was going to be raided. He got the shock of his life when he was informed of this in Mr. Dawson's

office on the morning of 4th June, and he fainted as a result. Why should those officers have gone to all the trouble of building up a strong case against Godber, and then, deliberately, have done anything with a view to facilitating his escape, thereby subjecting themselves to public ridicule?

There can be no doubt whatsoever that but for the fact

that the Attorney General was compelled to comply with the provisions of section 10(2) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, Godber would have been arrested on 4th June, immediately after the

raid on his flat. So far as I am aware, this is the first occasion

the section was invoked. The police found it most confusing; and as I am, in this report, recommending that it be repealed forthwith, it may not be out of place for me to say a word or two about how it over cane to be enacted in the first place.

There is no provision equivalent to section 10 in the law of England, nor, for that matter, in the laws of Ceylon,

Singapore or Falaysia. It was enacted in Hong Kong because experience had shown that it was extremely difficult to obtain