(5) Subject to subsection (6), the Licensing Officer or a police officer may take possession or make copies of any document or article produced under subsection (1)(b), for further investigation.
(6) Anything taken possession of by the Licensing Officer or police officer under subsection (5)—
- (a) must be placed in safe custody by the Licensing Officer or police officer; and
- (b) unless ordered otherwise by the court, may be retained until the completion of the investigation or any proceedings (including proceedings on appeal) in which it may be in evidence.
(7) Any person who, without reasonable excuse, refuses or fails—
- (a) to furnish any information, or produce any document or article, required of the person by the Licensing Officer or police officer under subsection (1)(a) or (b); or
- (b) to comply with any notice issued to the person under subsection (1)(c),
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and, in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.
Disposal and forfeiture of documents and articles
25.—(1) Any document or article taken into possession or seized under section 23(2)(e) or (5) or 24(5), as the case may be, must—
- (a) where the document or article is produced in any criminal trial, be dealt with in accordance with section 364 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68); or
- (b) in any other case, be returned to the owner or, if the owner is not known, reported to a Magistrate.
(2) Where the report of any document or article is made to a Magistrate under subsection (1)(b), the Magistrate may order the document or article to be forfeited or to be disposed of in such manner as the Magistrate thinks fit.
