PART 8 | ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT |
70.—(1) Subject to section 73, an inspecting officer may, for the purposes of investigating an offence under this Act or the contravention of any provision of this Act, do all or any of the following:| (a) | require any person whom the inspecting officer reasonably believes to have committed that offence or contravention to provide evidence of that person’s identity; | | (b) | require, by written notice, any person, whom the inspecting officer reasonably believes has —| (i) | any information; or | | (ii) | any document in the person’s custody or control, |
| that is relevant to the investigation, to provide that information or document, within such time and in such manner as may be specified in the written notice; |
| | (c) | require, by written notice, any person within the limits of Singapore, who appears to be acquainted with the facts or circumstances of the matter, to attend before the inspecting officer; | | (d) | examine orally any person who appears to be acquainted with the facts or circumstances of the matter —| (i) | whether before or after that person or anyone else is charged with an offence in connection with the matter; or | | (ii) | whether or not that person is to be called as a witness in any inquiry, trial or other proceeding in connection with the matter. |
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(2) The power to require a person to provide any information or document under subsection (1) includes the power —| (a) | to require that person to explain the information or document; | | (b) | if the information or document is not provided, to require that person to state, to the best of that person’s knowledge and belief, where the information or document is; and | | (c) | if the information is recorded otherwise than in legible form, to require that person to produce that information in legible form. |
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| (3) A person examined under subsection (1)(d) is bound to state truly what the person knows of the facts and circumstances of the matter, except that the person need not say anything that might expose the person to a criminal charge or punishment. |
(4) A statement made by a person examined under subsection (1)(d) must —| (a) | be reduced to writing; | | (b) | be read over to the person; | | (c) | if the person does not understand English, be interpreted in a language that the person understands; and | | (d) | after correction (if necessary), be signed by the person. |
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| (5) An inspecting officer may, without payment, take possession of or make copies of any document (or any part of it) provided under subsection (1), for further investigation. |
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| Power to enter premises under warrant |
71.—(1) A Magistrate may, on the application of the Authority, issue a warrant in respect of any premises if the Magistrate is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that there is on the premises, any document —| (a) | which has been required by an inspecting officer under section 70 to be provided, but has not been provided in compliance with that requirement; or | | (b) | which, if required by an inspecting officer under section 70 to be provided, will be concealed, removed, tampered with or destroyed. |
| (2) If the Magistrate is also satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that there is, on those premises, any other document that relates to any matter relevant to the investigation concerned, the Magistrate may direct that the powers exercisable under the warrant extend to that other document. |
(3) A warrant under subsection (1) may authorise a named inspecting officer, and any other employee of the Authority whom the Authority has authorised in writing to accompany the inspecting officer —| (a) | to enter and search the premises specified in the warrant, using such force as is reasonably necessary for the purpose; | | (b) | subject to section 73, to take possession of, make copies of, or secure against interference, any document (or any part of it) that appears to be a document mentioned in subsection (1) or (2) (called in this section the relevant document); | | (c) | to require any person on the premises to explain of any relevant document or, where applicable, to state, to the best of that person’s knowledge and belief, where the relevant document may be found; and | | (d) | subject to section 73, to require any relevant document that is stored in electronic form and accessible at the premises to be produced in a form that —| (i) | can be taken away; and | | (ii) | is visible and legible. |
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| (4) The warrant continues in force until the end of the period of one month beginning on the day on which it is issued. |
(5) If the owner or occupier of the premises is present when the inspecting officer proposes to execute the warrant, the inspecting officer must —| (a) | identify himself or herself to the owner or occupier; | | (b) | show the owner or occupier proof of the inspecting officer’s identity and authorisation; and | | (c) | give the owner or occupier a copy of the warrant. |
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(6) If there is no one at the premises when the inspecting officer proposes to execute the warrant, the inspecting officer must, before executing it —| (a) | take such steps as are reasonable in all the circumstances to inform the occupier of the premises of the intended entry into the premises; and | | (b) | where the occupier is so informed, give the occupier or the occupier’s legal or other representative a reasonable opportunity to be present when the warrant is executed. |
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| (7) If the inspecting officer is unable to inform the occupier of the premises of the intended entry into the premises, the inspecting officer must, when executing the warrant, leave a copy of it in a prominent place on the premises. |
(8) The inspecting officer must —| (a) | prepare and sign a list of all documents and other things taken under subsection (3)(b) and (d) in execution of the warrant; and | | (b) | give a copy of the list to the occupier of the premises or the occupier’s legal or other representative. |
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| (9) On leaving the premises after executing the warrant, the inspecting officer must, if the premises are unoccupied or the occupier of the premises is temporarily absent, leave the premises as effectively secured as the inspecting officer found them. |
(10) In this section —| “occupier”, in relation to any premises specified in a warrant under subsection (1), means a person whom the inspecting officer named in the warrant reasonably believes to be the occupier of those premises; |
| “premises” includes any building, structure, vehicle, vessel or aircraft. |
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| Retention and disposal of documents, etc. |
72.—(1) Where an inspecting officer takes possession of any document under section 70(5) or 71(3), the Authority —| (a) | must ensure that the document is placed in safe custody; and | | (b) | unless otherwise ordered by the Magistrate or a court, may retain, without payment, the document until the completion of the investigation or any proceedings (including proceedings on appeal) in which the document may be in evidence. |
(2) Any document retained by the Authority under subsection (1) must —| (a) | where the document is produced in any criminal trial, be dealt with in accordance with section 364 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010; or | | (b) | in any other case, be returned to the owner or, if the owner is not known, reported to a Magistrate. |
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| (3) Where the report of any document is made to a Magistrate under subsection (2)(b), the Magistrate may order the document to be forfeited or to be disposed of in such manner as the Magistrate thinks fit. |
| (4) Nothing in this section prejudices any right to retain or dispose of any property which may exist in law apart from this section. |
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| Information or document subject to legal privilege |
73.—(1) A person is not obliged under section 70 to provide any information or document that is subject to legal privilege.| (2) An inspecting officer executing a warrant under section 71 is not authorised to take possession or make copy of any document that is subject to legal privilege. |
(3) For the purposes of this section, an information or a document is subject to legal privilege if —| (a) | it is a communication made between a lawyer and a client in connection with the lawyer giving legal advice to the client; | | (b) | it is a communication made between 2 or more lawyers acting for a client in connection with one or more of the lawyers giving legal advice to the client; | | (c) | it is a communication made between a legal counsel acting as such and his or her employer in connection with the legal counsel giving legal advice to the employer; | | (d) | it is a communication made between 2 or more legal counsel acting as such for an employer in connection with one or more of the legal counsel giving legal advice to the employer; | | (e) | it is a communication made —| (i) | between a client, or an employer of a legal counsel, and another person; | | (ii) | between a lawyer acting for a client and either the client or another person; or | | (iii) | between a legal counsel acting as such for his or her employer and either the employer or another person, |
| in connection with, and for the purposes of, any legal proceedings (including anticipated or pending legal proceedings) in which the client or employer (as the case may be) is or may be, or was or might have been, a party; |
| | (f) | it is enclosed with or referred to in any communication mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) and is made or prepared by any person in connection with a lawyer giving advice to the lawyer’s client; | | (g) | it is enclosed with or referred to in any communication mentioned in paragraph (c) or (d) and is made or prepared by any person in connection with a legal counsel giving advice to the employer of the legal counsel; or | | (h) | it is enclosed with or referred to in any communication mentioned in paragraph (e) and is made or prepared by any person in connection with, and for the purposes of, any legal proceedings described in that paragraph, |
| but excludes any communication that is made, prepared or held with the intention of furthering a criminal purpose. |
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(4) In this section —| “client”, in relation to a lawyer, includes an agent of or other person representing the client; |
“employer”, in relation to a legal counsel, includes —| (a) | if the employer is one of a number of corporations that are related to each other under section 6 of the Companies Act 1967, every corporation so related as if the legal counsel is also employed by each of the related corporations; and | | (b) | an employee or officer of the employer; |
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| “lawyer” means an advocate and solicitor, and includes an interpreter or other person who works under the supervision of an advocate and solicitor; |
| “legal counsel” includes an interpreter or other person who works under the supervision of a legal counsel. |
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| Offences relating to enforcement |
74.—(1) A person who is —| (a) | required to provide evidence of the person’s identity under section 70(1)(a); | | (b) | issued a notice under section 70(1)(b) or (c); or | | (c) | required to provide any explanation under section 71(3)(c) or produce any thing under section 71(3)(d), |
| must comply with that requirement or notice. |
| (2) Any person who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both. |
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| False or misleading information, statement or document, etc. |
75.—(1) A person must not make any statement, or provide any information or document, under this Act that the person knows to be false or misleading in any material particular.| (2) A person must not intentionally alter, suppress, dispose or destroy any document or information which the person is required to provide under this Act. |
| (3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both. |
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| Penalty for obstructing or hindering Authority |
76.—(1) A person must not obstruct or hinder —| (a) | the Authority or a member of the Authority; | | (b) | a committee of the Authority or a committee member; or | | (c) | the Chief Executive, or an employee or delegate of the Authority, |
| in the performance of any function or the exercise of any power under this Act. |
| (2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both. |
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77.—(1) The Chief Executive, or an employee of the Authority authorised in writing by the Authority, may compound any offence under this Act that is prescribed as a compoundable offence by collecting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding the lower of the following:| (a) | one half of the amount of the maximum fine that is prescribed for the offence; | | (b) | $2,000. |
| (2) On payment of the sum of money, no further proceedings are to be taken against that person in respect of the offence. |
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78.—(1) Where, in a proceeding for an offence under this Act, it is necessary to prove the state of mind of a corporation in relation to a particular conduct, evidence that —| (a) | an officer, employee or agent of the corporation engaged in that conduct within the scope of his or her actual or apparent authority; and | | (b) | the officer, employee or agent had that state of mind, |
| is evidence that the corporation had that state of mind. |
(2) Where a corporation commits an offence under this Act, a person —| (a) | who is —| (i) | an officer of the corporation; or | | (ii) | an individual who is involved in the management of the corporation and is in a position to influence the conduct of the corporation in relation to the commission of the offence; and |
| | (b) | who —| (i) | consented or connived, or conspired with others, to effect the commission of the offence; | | (ii) | is in any other way, whether by act or omission, knowingly concerned in, or is party to, the commission of the offence by the corporation; or | | (iii) | knew or ought reasonably to have known that the offence by the corporation (or an offence of the same type) would be or is being committed, and failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent or stop the commission of that offence, |
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| shall be guilty of that same offence as is the corporation, and shall be liable on conviction to be punished accordingly. |
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| (3) A person mentioned in subsection (2) may rely on a defence that would be available to the corporation if it were charged with the offence with which the person is charged and, in doing so, the person bears the same burden of proof that the corporation would bear. |
(4) To avoid doubt, this section does not affect the application of —| (a) | Chapters 5 and 5A of the Penal Code 1871; or | | (b) | the Evidence Act 1893 or any other law or practice regarding the admissibility of evidence. |
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| (5) To avoid doubt, subsection (2) does not affect the liability of the corporation for an offence under this Act, and applies whether or not the corporation is convicted of the offence. |
(6) In this section —| “corporation” includes a limited liability partnership as defined in section 2(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005; |
“officer”, in relation to a corporation, means any director, partner, chief executive, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the corporation, and includes —| (a) | any person purporting to act in any such capacity; and | | (b) | for a corporation whose affairs are managed by its members, any of those members as if the member were a director of the corporation; |
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“state of mind” of a person includes —| (a) | the person’s knowledge, intention, opinion, belief or purpose; and | | (b) | the person’s reasons for the intention, opinion, belief or purpose. |
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| Offences by unincorporated associations or partnerships |
79.—(1) Where, in a proceeding for an offence under this Act, it is necessary to prove the state of mind of an unincorporated association or a partnership in relation to a particular conduct, evidence that —| (a) | an employee or agent of the unincorporated association or the partnership engaged in that conduct within the scope of his or her actual or apparent authority; and | | (b) | the employee or agent had that state of mind, |
| is evidence that the unincorporated association or partnership had that state of mind. |
(2) Where an unincorporated association or a partnership commits an offence under this Act, a person —| (a) | who is —| (i) | an officer of the unincorporated association or a member of its governing body; | | (ii) | a partner in the partnership; or | | (iii) | an individual involved in the management of the unincorporated association or partnership and in a position to influence the conduct of the unincorporated association or partnership (as the case may be) in relation to the commission of the offence; and |
| | (b) | who —| (i) | consented or connived, or conspired with others, to effect the commission of the offence; | | (ii) | is in any other way, whether by act or omission, knowingly concerned in, or is party to, the commission of the offence by the unincorporated association or partnership; or | | (iii) | knew or ought reasonably to have known that the offence by the unincorporated association or partnership (or an offence of the same type) would be or is being committed, and failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent or stop the commission of that offence, |
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| shall be guilty of the same offence as is the unincorporated association or partnership (as the case may be), and shall be liable on conviction to be punished accordingly. |
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| (3) A person mentioned in subsection (2) may rely on a defence that would be available to the unincorporated association or partnership if it were charged with the offence with which the person is charged and, in doing so, the person bears the same burden of proof that the unincorporated association or partnership would bear. |
(4) To avoid doubt, this section does not affect the application of —| (a) | Chapters 5 and 5A of the Penal Code 1871; or | | (b) | the Evidence Act 1893 or any other law or practice regarding the admissibility of evidence. |
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| (5) To avoid doubt, subsection (2) does not affect the liability of an unincorporated association or a partnership for an offence under this Act, and applies whether or not the unincorporated association or partnership is convicted of the offence. |
(6) In this section —“officer”, in relation to an unincorporated association (other than a partnership), means the president, the secretary, or any member of the committee of the unincorporated association, and includes —| (a) | any person holding a position analogous to that of president, secretary or member of a committee of the unincorporated association; and | | (b) | any person purporting to act in any such capacity; |
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| “partner” includes a person purporting to act as a partner; |
“state of mind” of a person includes —| (a) | the person’s knowledge, intention, opinion, belief or purpose; and | | (b) | the person’s reasons for the intention, opinion, belief or purpose. |
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80.—(1) A document that is permitted or required by this Act to be served on a person may be served as described in this section.(2) A document permitted or required by this Act to be served on an individual may be served —| (a) | by giving it to the individual personally; | | (b) | by sending it by prepaid registered post to the address specified by the individual for the service of documents or, if no address is so specified, the individual’s residential address or business address; | | (c) | by leaving it at the individual’s residential address with an adult apparently resident there, or at the individual’s business address with an adult apparently employed there; | | (d) | by affixing a copy of the document in a conspicuous place at the individual’s residential address or business address; | | (e) | by sending it by fax to the fax number given by the individual as the fax number for the service of documents on the individual; or | | (f) | by sending it by email to the individual’s last email address. |
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(3) A document permitted or required by this Act to be served on a partnership (other than a limited liability partnership) may be served —| (a) | by giving it to any partner or other similar officer of the partnership; | | (b) | by leaving it at, or by sending it by prepaid registered post to, the partnership’s business address; | | (c) | by sending it by fax to the fax number used at the partnership’s business address; or | | (d) | by sending it by email to the partnership’s last email address. |
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(4) A document permitted or required by this Act to be served on a body corporate (including a limited liability partnership) or unincorporated association may be served —| (a) | by giving it to the secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or unincorporated association, or the limited liability partnership’s manager; | | (b) | by leaving it at, or by sending it by prepaid registered post to, the body corporate’s or unincorporated association’s registered office or principal office in Singapore; | | (c) | by sending it by fax to the fax number used at the body corporate’s or unincorporated association’s registered office or principal office in Singapore; or | | (d) | by sending it by email to the body corporate’s or unincorporated association’s last email address. |
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(5) Service of a document under this section takes effect —| (a) | if the document is sent by fax and a notification of successful transmission is received, on the day of transmission; | | (b) | if the document is sent by email, at the time that the email becomes capable of being retrieved by the person to whom it is sent; and | | (c) | if the document is sent by prepaid registered post, 2 days after the day the document was posted (even if it is returned undelivered). |
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| (6) This section does not apply to documents to be served in proceedings in court. |
(7) In this section —“business address” means —| (a) | in the case of an individual, the individual’s usual or last known place of business in Singapore; or | | (b) | in the case of a partnership (other than a limited liability partnership), the partnership’s principal or last known place of business in Singapore; |
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| “last email address” means the last email address given by the addressee concerned to the person giving or serving the document as the email address for the service of documents under this Act; |
| “residential address” means an individual’s usual or last known place of residence in Singapore. |
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| 81. The Authority may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations prescribing matters required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act. |
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