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Crimes Act 1961

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

105A: Corrupt use of official information

You could also call this:

“Officials can get in big trouble for using secret work information to help themselves or others”

If you’re an official, you can’t use or share information you’ve gotten because of your job to get an advantage or make money for yourself or anyone else. This applies whether you’re in New Zealand or somewhere else. If you do this, you could go to prison for up to 7 years. This is called corrupt use of official information, and it’s against the law.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM328755.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal law
Government and voting > Government departments
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105: Corruption and bribery of official, or

“It's against the law for officials to take bribes or for anyone to give bribes to officials.”

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105B: Use or disclosure of personal information disclosed in breach of section 105A, or

“It's against the law to use secret information about people that someone else got illegally to make money or gain an advantage.”

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

105ACorrupt use of official information

  1. Every official is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who, whether within New Zealand or elsewhere, corruptly uses or discloses any information, acquired by him or her in his or her official capacity, to obtain, directly or indirectly, an advantage or a pecuniary gain for himself or herself or any other person.

Notes
  • Section 105A: inserted, on , by section 3(1) of the Crimes Amendment Act (No 2) 1982 (1982 No 157).
  • Section 105A: amended, on , by section 2 of the Crimes Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 33).