Power to investigate offences under this Part
Open ↗13S.—(1) For the purpose of investigating any offence under this Part, the Director-General or a community relations officer may —(a)
examine orally any person supposed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case; and
(b)
by written order require any person within the limits of Singapore, who appears to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case, to attend before the Director-General or community relations officer.
(2) The person mentioned in subsection (1)(a) is bound to state truly the facts and circumstances with which the person is acquainted concerning the case except only that the person may decline to make, with regard to any fact or circumstance, a statement which would have a tendency to expose the person to a criminal charge or to penalty or forfeiture.
(3) A statement made by any person examined under this section must —(a)
be reduced to writing;
(b)
be read over to the person;
(c)
if the person does not understand English, be interpreted for the person in a language that the person understands; and
(d)
after correction, if necessary, be signed by the person.
(4) If any person fails to attend before the Director-General or a community relations officer as required by a written order under subsection (1)(b), the Director-General or community relations officer may report such failure to a Magistrate who may issue a warrant to secure the attendance of that person as required by the order.[Act 43 of 2024 wef 24/03/2025]
Notice to attend court
Open ↗13T.—(1) Where the Director-General or a community relations officer has reasonable grounds for believing that a person has committed an offence under this Part, the Director-General or community relations officer may, in lieu of applying to a court for a summons, serve upon that person a prescribed notice requiring that person to attend at the court described, at the hour and on the date specified in the notice.
(2) A duplicate of the notice must be prepared by the Director-General or a community relations officer and, if so required by a court, produced to the court.
(3) The notice may be served on the person alleged to have committed the offence in the same manner as the service of a summons under section 116 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010.
(4) On an accused person appearing before a court pursuant to a notice under subsection (1), the court is to take cognizance of the offence alleged, and is to proceed as though the accused person were produced before it pursuant to section 153 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010.
(5) If a person upon whom a notice has been served under subsection (1) fails to appear before a court in person or by counsel as required by that notice, the court may, if satisfied that the notice was duly served, issue a warrant for the arrest of the person unless, in the case of an offence which may be compounded, that person has before that date been permitted to compound the offence.
(6) Upon a person arrested pursuant to a warrant issued under subsection (5) being produced before a court, the court is to proceed as though the person were produced before it pursuant to section 153 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010.
(7) The Director-General or a community relations officer may, at any time before the date specified in the notice under subsection (1), cancel the notice.[Act 43 of 2024 wef 24/03/2025]
Composition of offences under this Part
Open ↗13U.—(1) The Director-General or a person authorised by the Director-General may compound any offence under this Part that is prescribed as a compoundable offence —(a)
by collecting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding the lower of the following:(i)
one half of the amount of the maximum fine that is prescribed for the offence;
(ii)
$2,000; and
(b)
by requiring the person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence to do, or to refrain from doing, such things as may be specified in an offer of composition (called conditions of composition) by the Director-General with the concurrence (general or specific) of the Public Prosecutor.
(2) On payment of the sum of money and on full compliance with the conditions of composition, no further proceedings are to be taken against that person in respect of the offence.
(3) The Minister may make regulations to prescribe the offences that may be compounded under this section.
(4) All sums collected under this section must be paid into the Consolidated Fund.[Act 43 of 2024 wef 24/03/2025]
Community Order for offences under this Part
Open ↗13V. Where a court convicts any person for an offence under this Part, the court has the power to make a community order under Part 17 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 despite any provision to the contrary in section 337(1)(h) of that Code.[Act 43 of 2024 wef 24/03/2025]
Source: Singapore Statutes Online (Attorney-General's Chambers), © Government of Singapore.
