CONFIDENTIAL
TO CONCENTRATE ON MAINTAINING STANDARDS FOR THE FUTURE, RATHER THAN TO CONTINUE TO IMPRESS THE NEED FOR HONESTY BY PROSECUTING PEOPLE FOR OFFENCES COMMITTED IN THE PAST, AND THUS TURN OVER A NEW LEAF IN THE HISTORY OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE. HOWEVER IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAD ARISEN I JUDGED THAT THIS RELIEF SHOULD BE GRANTED IMMEDIATELY. APART FROM THESE EXCEPTIONS IT HAS
REMOVED ALL CAUSE FOR FEAR FROM ALL WHO KEEP STRAIGHT.
4. EXCEPTIONS WERE DELIBERATELY INTENDED TO BE VERY SMALL, ONE WAS ''PERSONS WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN INTERVIEWED''. THIS DOES NOT MEAN ANYBODY TO WHOM AN ICAC OFFICER, HAS SPOKEN AT ANY TIME. IT MEANS ONLY PERSONS WHO HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED BY THE ICAC OFFICER, WHETHER OR NOT FOLLOWING ARREST, AND TO WHOM DURING THAT
INTERVIEW ALLEGATIONS HAD BEEN MADE THAT THEY HAD COMMITTED AN OFFENCE. THE NUMBER OF SUCH PEOPLE IS SMALL, FORTUNATELY NOT MORE THAN 200 WITHIN A FORCE OF 20,000.
5. ANOTHER EXCEPTION WAS AN OFFENCE COMMITTED BEFORE THIS YEAR, WHICH CAME TO LIGHT AND WAS SO HEINOUS THAT IT WOULD BE UNTHINKABLE NOT TO ACT. TO ENSURE THAT IN NO CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD THIS EXCEPTION BE USED TO UNDERMINE MY GENERAL INTENTION, ! STATED THAT IF THERE WAS SUCH A CASE IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REFERRED TO ME. THIS MADE CLEAR THAT I EXPECTED THE NUMBER OF CASES TO BE NEGLIGIBLE, IN FACT NONE IS KNOWN AT THIS MOMENT.
6. OTHER EXCEPTIONS RELATED TO THE OBVIOUS CASES OF PERSONS FOR WHOM WARRANTS HAD BEEN ISSUED OR PERSONS NOW OUTSIDE HONG
KONG.
7. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NOTHING IN THIS STATEMENT THAT WOULD INHIBIT ICAC FROM ENSURING THAT THE IMPROVEMENT ACHEIVED WOULD BE MAINTAINED, OR THAT SUGGESTED THAT OUR DETERMINATION TO MAINTAIN A CLEAN PUBLIC SERVICE WAS ABABDOONED OR DIMINISHED, ! THINK ITS TIMING AND ITS CONTENT CAME AS A SHOCK TO THE PUBLIC. ALTHOUGH THE REASONS FOR IT HAVE BEEN SYMPATHETICALLY UNDERSTOOD, MANY WERE WORRIED THAT IT HAD BEEN MADE AT ALL, OR THAT IT WENT TOO FAR. BUT CERTAINLY NO ONE HAS SUGGESTED THAT IT SHOULD
HAVE GONE FURTHER QUITE. THE CONTRARY.
--2- CONFIDENTIAL
/8. MY
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.