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Crimes Act 1961

Crimes affecting the administration of law and justice - Bribery and corruption

100: Judicial corruption

You could also call this:

“It's against the law for judges and court workers to take money or gifts to do their job unfairly.”

If you are a judge, it’s against the law to accept or try to get a bribe for yourself or someone else. This is called judicial corruption. A bribe is something of value given to influence your decisions. If you do this for any action you take or don’t take as a judge, you could go to prison for up to 14 years.

The law also applies to other people who work in courts, like registrars and deputy registrars. If these people accept or try to get a bribe for anything they do or don’t do in their job, they could go to prison for up to 7 years. This is for actions that aren’t covered by the rule for judges.

Remember, it’s important to be honest and fair when you work in the court system. Taking bribes is a serious crime with big punishments.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM328743.

Topics:

Crime and justice > Criminal law

Crime and justice > Courts and legal help

99: Interpretation, or

“This section explains important words used in the law about bribery, like what a bribe is and who are considered officials.”

101: Bribery of judicial officer, etc, or

“Giving money or gifts to try to change how a judge or court worker decides things is against the law.”

Part 6 Crimes affecting the administration of law and justice
Bribery and corruption

100Judicial corruption

Every judicial officer is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years who corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees or offers to accept or attempts to obtain, any bribe for himself or herself or any other person in respect of any act done or omitted, or to be done or omitted, by him or her in his or her judicial capacity.
Every judicial officer, and every Registrar or Deputy Registrar of any court, is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees or offers to accept or attempts to obtain, any bribe for himself or herself or any other person in respect of any act done or omitted, or to be done or omitted, by him or her in his or her official capacity, not being an act or omission to which subsection (1) applies.

Compare

1908 No 32 ss 126(a), 127(a)