Singapore legislation

Clause 64

Powers and procedures of Interim Orders Committee

(1)

For the purposes of an inquiry into a disciplinary case or a review of an interim order, an Interim Orders Committee may require any person —

(a)

to attend at a specified time and place and give evidence before the Interim Orders Committee; and

(b)

to produce all books, documents and papers in the custody, or under the control, of the person which may be related to or be connected with the subject matter of the inquiry or review.

(2)

Any person who, without lawful excuse —

(a)

refuses or fails to comply with any requirement of the Interim Orders Committee under subsection (1); or

(b)

refuses to answer any question put to the person by a member of the Interim Orders Committee,shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $50 for every day or part of a day during which the offence continues after conviction.

(3)

Any person who —

(a)

knowingly gives a false answer to any question put to the person by a member of the Interim Orders Committee; or

(b)

knowingly gives any document, information or material to the Interim Orders Committee that is false or misleading, or that omits any matter or thing without which the document, information or material is misleading,shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $50 for every day or part of a day during which the offence continues after conviction.

(4)

The Interim Orders Committee —

(a)

is not bound to act in any formal manner and is not bound by the provisions of the Evidence Act 1893 or by any other written law relating to evidence, but may inform itself on any matter in any manner that it thinks fit;

(b)

may administer an oath or affirmation to any person giving evidence before it; and

(c)

may, subject to any regulations made under section 87, regulate its own procedure for the inquiry or review.

(5)

Any party to the inquiry or review before the Interim Orders Committee may take out a subpoena to testify or to produce any document, and the subpoena must be served and may be enforced as if it were an order to attend court or an order to produce any document issued in connection with a civil action in the General Division of the High Court.

(6)

Any person giving evidence in the inquiry or review before the Interim Orders Committee is legally bound to tell the truth.

(7)

Any person giving evidence in the inquiry or review before the Interim Orders Committee has the same privileges and immunities in relation to the inquiry or review as if it were a proceeding in a court of law.

(8)

For the purposes of the inquiry or review, the Interim Orders Committee may direct an investigator to investigate the disciplinary case.

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