Prevention of Corruption Act

(CHAPTER 241)

(Original Enactment: Ordinance 39 of 1960)

REVISED EDITION 1985

(30th March 1987)

An Act to provide for the more effectual prevention of corruption.

[17th June 1960]

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“agent” means any person employed by or acting for another, and includes a trustee, administrator and executor, and a person serving the Government or under any corporation or public body, and for the purposes of section 8 includes a subcontractor and any person employed by or acting for such subcontractor;

“Director” means the Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau appointed under section 3;

“gratification” includes —

(a)	money or any gift, loan, fee, reward, commission, valuable security or other property or interest in property of any description, whether movable or immovable;
(b)	any office, employment or contract;
(c)	any payment, release, discharge or liquidation of any loan, obligation or other liability whatsoever, whether in whole or in part;
(d)	any other service, favour or advantage of any description whatsoever, including protection from any penalty or disability incurred or apprehended or from any action or proceedings of a disciplinary or penal nature, whether or not already instituted, and including the exercise or the forbearance from the exercise of any right or any official power or duty; and
(e)	any offer, undertaking or promise of any gratification within the meaning of paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d);

“principal” includes an employer, a beneficiary under a trust, and a trust estate as though it were a person and any person beneficially interested in the estate of a deceased person and the estate of a deceased person as though the estate were a person, and in the case of a person serving the Government or a public body includes the Government or the public body, as the case may be;

“public body” means any corporation, board, council, commissioners or other body which has power to act under and for the purposes of any written law relating to public health or to undertakings or public utility or otherwise to administer money levied or raised by rates or charges in pursuance of any written law;

“special investigator” means a special investigator of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.

[25/81]

Appointment of Director and officers

3.—(1) The President may appoint an officer to be the Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.

(2) The President may appoint a Deputy Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and such number of assistant directors and special investigators of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau as he may think fit.

[25/81]

(3) Any powers conferred on and duties to be performed by the Director under this Act may, subject to the orders and directions of the Director, be exercised or performed by the Deputy Director or an assistant director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.

(4) The Deputy Director and an assistant director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau may exercise the powers conferred by this Act on a special investigator.

(5) The President may create such different grades for assistant directors and special investigators as he may think fit.

Director and officers deemed to be public servants

4.—(1) The Director, Deputy Director, assistant directors and special investigators of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of the Penal Code [Cap. 224].

[25/81]

(2) A certificate of appointment signed by the Director shall be issued to every officer of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and shall be evidence of his appointment under this Act.

Punishment for corruption

5. Any person who shall by himself or by or in conjunction with any other person —

(a)	corruptly solicit or receive, or agree to receive for himself, or for any other person; or
(b)	corruptly give, promise or offer to any person whether for the benefit of that person or of another person,

any gratification as an inducement to or reward for, or otherwise on account of —

(i)	any person doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of any matter or transaction whatsoever, actual or proposed; or
(ii)	any member, officer or servant of a public body doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of any matter or transaction whatsoever, actual or proposed, in which such public body is concerned,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to both.

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

Punishment for corrupt transactions with agents

6. If —

(a)	any agent corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain, from any person, for himself or for any other person, any gratification as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do, or for having done or forborne to do, any act in relation to his principal’s affairs or business, or for showing or forbearing to show favour or disfavour to any person in relation to his principal’s affairs or business;
(b)	any person corruptly gives or agrees to give or offers any gratification to any agent as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do, or for having done or forborne to do any act in relation to his principal’s affairs or business, or for showing or forbearing to show favour or disfavour to any person in relation to his principal’s affairs or business; or
(c)	any person knowingly gives to an agent, or if an agent knowingly uses with intent to deceive his principal, any receipt, account or other document in respect of which the principal is interested, and which contains any statement which is false or erroneous or defective in any material particular, and which to his knowledge is intended to mislead the principal,

he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to both.

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

Increase of maximum penalty in certain cases

7. A person convicted of an offence under section 5 or 6 shall, where the matter or transaction in relation to which the offence was committed was a contract or a proposal for a contract with the Government or any department thereof or with any public body or a subcontract to execute any work comprised in such a contract, be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both.

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

Presumption of corruption in certain cases

8. Where in any proceedings against a person for an offence under section 5 or 6, it is proved that any gratification has been paid or given to or received by a person in the employment of the Government or any department thereof or of a public body by or from a person or agent of a person who has or seeks to have any dealing with the Government or any department thereof or any public body, that gratification shall be deemed to have been paid or given and received corruptly as an inducement or reward as hereinbefore mentioned unless the contrary is proved.

Acceptor of gratification to be guilty notwithstanding that purpose not carried out, etc.

9.—(1) Where in any proceedings against any agent for any offence under section 6(a), it is proved that he corruptly accepted, obtained or agreed to accept or attempted to obtain any gratification, having reason to believe or suspect that the gratification was offered as an inducement or reward for his doing or forbearing to do any act or for showing or forbearing to show any favour or disfavour to any person in relation to his principal’s affairs or business, he shall be guilty of an offence under that section notwithstanding that he did not have the power, right or opportunity to do so, show or forbear or that he accepted the gratification without intending to do so, show or forbear or that he did not in fact do so, show or forbear or that the act, favour or disfavour was not in relation to his principal’s affairs or business.

(2) Where, in any proceedings against any person for any offence under section 6(b), it is proved that he corruptly gave, agreed to give or offered any gratification to any agent as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do any act or for showing or forbearing to show any favour or disfavour to any person having reason to believe or suspect that the agent had the power, right or opportunity to do so, show or forbear and that the act, favour or disfavour was in relation to his principal’s affairs or business, he shall be guilty of an offence under that section notwithstanding that the agent had no power, right or opportunity or that the act, favour or disfavour was not in relation to his principal’s affairs or business.

Corruptly procuring withdrawal of tenders

10. A person —

(a)	who, with intent to obtain from the Government or any public body a contract for performing any work, providing any service, doing anything, or supplying any article, material or substance, offers any gratification to any person who has made a tender for the contract, as an inducement or a reward for his withdrawing that tender; or
(b)	who solicits or accepts any gratification as an inducement or a reward for his withdrawing a tender made by him for that contract,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both.

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

Bribery of Member of Parliament

11. Any person —

(a)	who offers any gratification to a Member of Parliament as an inducement or reward for such Member’s doing or forbearing to do any act in his capacity as such Member; or
(b)	who being a Member of Parliament solicits or accepts any gratification as an inducement or a reward for his doing or forbearing to do any act in his capacity as such Member,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both.

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

Bribery of member of public body

12. A person —

(a)

who offers any gratification to any member of a public body as an inducement or reward for —

(i)	the member’s voting or abstaining from voting at any meeting of the public body in favour of or against any measure, resolution or question submitted to that public body;
(ii)	the member’s performing, or abstaining from performing, or his aid in procuring, expediting, delaying, hindering or preventing the performance of, any official act; or
(iii)	the member’s aid in procuring or preventing the passing of any vote or the granting of any contract or advantage in favour of any person; or

(b)

who, being a member of a public body, solicits or accepts any gratification as an inducement or a reward for any such act, or any such abstaining, as is referred to in paragraph (a)(i), (ii) and (iii),

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both.

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

When penalty to be imposed in addition to other punishment

13.—(1) Where a court convicts any person of an offence committed by the acceptance of any gratification in contravention of any provision of this Act, then, if that gratification is a sum of money or if the value of that gratification can be assessed, the court shall, in addition to imposing on that person any other punishment, order him to pay as a penalty, within such time as may be specified in the order, a sum which is equal to the amount of that gratification or is, in the opinion of the court, the value of that gratification, and any such penalty shall be recoverable as a fine.

(2) Where a person charged with two or more offences for the acceptance of gratification in contravention of this Act is convicted of one or some of those offences, and the other outstanding offences are taken into consideration by the court under section 178 of the Criminal Procedure Code [Cap. 68] for the purpose of passing sentence, the court may increase the penalty mentioned in subsection (1) by an amount not exceeding the total amount or value of the gratification specified in the charges for the offences so taken into consideration.

[25/81]

Principal may recover amount of secret gift

14.—(1) Where any gratification has, in contravention of this Act, been given by any person to an agent, the principal may recover as a civil debt the amount or the money value thereof either from the agent or from the person who gave the gratification to the agent, and no conviction or acquittal of the defendant in respect of an offence under this Act shall operate as a bar to proceedings for the recovery of that amount or money value.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prejudice or affect any right which any principal may have under any written law or rule of law to recover from his agent any money or property.

Powers of arrest

15.—(1) The Director or any special investigator may without a warrant arrest any person who has been concerned in any offence under this Act or against whom a reasonable complaint has been made or credible information has been received or a reasonable suspicion exists of his having been so concerned.

[27/72; 25/81]

(2) The Director or a special investigator arresting a person under subsection (1) may search such person and take possession of all articles found upon him which there is reason to believe were the fruits or other evidence of the crime, provided that no female shall be searched except by a female.

(3) Every person so arrested shall be taken to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau or to a police station.

Provisions as to bail or bond

15A.—(1) A person who has been arrested by the Director or any special investigator may be released on bail or on his own bond granted by the Director or any special investigator or any police officer.

(2) The provisions of Chapters XXXV and XXXVI of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68) shall apply to any bail or bond granted under this section; and for this purpose —

(a)	any reference to “officer”, “police officer” or “police officer not below the rank of sergeant” shall be read to include the Director or any special investigator;
(b)	the reference to the Commissioner of Police in section 351 of the Criminal Procedure Code shall be read to include the Director. [Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

Powers of investigation

16.—(1) In any case relating to the commission —

(a)	of an offence under section 165 or under sections 213 to 215 of the Penal Code [Cap. 224], or of any conspiracy to commit, or of any attempt to commit, or of any abetment of such an offence;
(b)	of an offence under this Act; or
(c)	of any seizable offence under any written law which may be disclosed in the course of an investigation under this Act,

the Director or a special investigator may, without the order of the Public Prosecutor, exercise all or any of the powers in relation to police investigations into any offence given by the Criminal Procedure Code [Cap. 68]:

Provided that an investigation into an offence under the Penal Code [Cap. 224] shall be deemed to be a police investigation to which section 122 of the Criminal Procedure Code shall apply in the same manner and to the same extent as if the Director or the special investigator concerned were a police officer.

[27/72; 25/81]

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

(2) For the purposes of sections 58(1) and 122(5) of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68), the Director or a special investigator shall be deemed to be an officer not below the rank of inspector of police.

[Act 29 of 1989 wef 14/08/1989]

Special powers of investigation

17.—(1) Notwithstanding anything in any other law, the Public Prosecutor, if satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence under this Act has been committed, may, by order, authorise the Director or any police officer of or above the rank of assistant superintendent named in such order or a special investigator so named to make an investigation in the matter in such manner or mode as may be specified in that order. The order may authorise the investigation of any bank account, share account, purchase account, expense account or any other account, or any safe deposit box in any bank, and shall be sufficient authority for the disclosure or production by any person of all or any information or accounts or documents or articles as may be required by the officer so authorised.

[27/72; 25/81]

(2) Any person who fails to disclose such information or to produce such accounts or documents or articles to the person so authorised shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both.

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