TNAG-1449-FCO40-1953-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 305

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6.

The opportunity is also taken in this Bill

to permit higher levels of penalty for certain offences

in the existing Theft Ordinance. These include:

false accounting; making false statements by company

directors and suppression of certain documents. It

is proposed that the existing maximum penalty of seven

years' imprisonment for these offences be increased

to ten years to reflect the true seriousness of these

offences. Experience in Hong Kong shows that the

complexity and scale of the frauds involved in such

offences often warrants a higher penalty than is presently

prescribed. The proposals will put the maximum level

for these offences on a par with other offences of

a similar nature in the Ordinance.

7.

The Law Society, the Bar Association and the

Law Faculty of the University of Hong Kong were consulted

on the Bill. The Law Society supported the amendments

proposed.

The Bar Association and the Law Faculty offered

a number of detailed comments on the Bill which have

since been taken into account.

8.

Sir, I move the debate in this Bill be now adjourned.