Singapore legislation
Section 21
Section 21
Grant and renewal of licence
(1)
An application for a licence shall —
be made to the licensing officer in such form or manner as the licensing officer may require; and
be accompanied by —
such particulars, information and documents as the licensing officer may require; and
the prescribed fee, if any.
(2)
An applicant for a licence shall, at the request of the licensing officer, provide any further information or evidence that the licensing officer may require to decide the application.
(3)
Upon receipt of an application under subsection (1), the licensing officer may —
grant the licence applied for, with or without conditions; or
refuse the application.
(4)
Subject to the provisions of this Act, a person who applies to be licensed, or to renew his or its licence shall be eligible to be granted a licence or a renewal of the licence if, and only if —
the applicant has paid the prescribed fees for such licence or its renewal;
where the applicant is an individual, he satisfies the licensing officer that he has the qualifications and the practical experience (whether in Singapore or elsewhere) prescribed for that licence; and
the applicant satisfies such other requirements as may be prescribed for such licence or its renewal.
(5)
Without prejudice to subsection (4), the licensing officer may refuse to grant a licence, or to renew a licence of a person if, in the opinion of the licensing officer —
where the person who applies to be licensed, or to renew his licence is an individual, the person is not a fit or proper person to hold or to continue to hold the licence;
where the person who applies to be licensed, or to renew his licence is a business entity, an officer of the business entity is not a fit or proper person; or
it is not in the public interest to grant or renew the licence, or the grant or renewal of the licence may pose a threat to national security.
(6)
A licence may be renewed upon its expiry, and subsections (1), (2) and (3) shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to an application for the renewal of a licence.
(7)
Any person who, in making an application for a licence —
makes any statement or furnishes any particulars, information or document which he knows to be false or does not believe to be true; or
by the intentional suppression of any material fact, furnishes any information which is misleading in a material particular,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 2 years or to both.
(8)
In deciding for the purposes of this section whether a person or an officer of a business entity is a fit and proper person, the licensing officer may consider any of the following matters as indicating that the person or officer may not be a fit and proper person:
that the person or officer associates with a criminal in a way that indicates involvement in an unlawful activity;
that in dealings in which the person or officer has been involved, the person or officer —
has shown dishonesty or lack of integrity; or
used harassing tactics;
that the person or officer is or was suffering from a mental disorder; or
that the person or officer is an undischarged bankrupt or has entered into a composition with his debtors.
(9)
Subsection (8) shall not limit the circumstances in which a person or an officer of a business entity may be considered by the licensing officer not to be a fit and proper person.