£llO Fine For Taking Bribe

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1948, Page 4

£llO Fine For Taking Bribe

AUCKLAND, Wed. (P.A.). —A former employee in the Auckland Building Controller’s office, Stephen Patrick Foster, 49, was fined £ll3 in the Supreme Court before Mr Justice Stanton today.

The charge was that he corruptly solicited a gilt of £lO to facilitate the granting of a building permit. On a charge of having wrongfully accepted the gift he was convicted and discharged. “These are serious offences, particularly at a time like the present, when controls are numerous and so farreaching and temptations are great to commit such crimes, which are hard to detect,” His Honor said. “It would be calamitous if the public came to accept the view that controls can be by-passed or approval expedited by illegal payments to persons in your position.” On the question of penally, His Honor said it must be substantial. It was not an appropriate case for probation. Taking into consideration accused’s good records and all the facts, he would impose a fine, but it must be big. He had to consider that accused suggested the gift.

It was now said that this was in a jocular way, but this suggestion lost some of its force when it was followed by acceptance of the money. Defence counsel (Mr Hart) said the controller’s office was generally agreed to be in a chaotic slate. He submitted that it was more in the nature of a gratuity than a bribe which accused received.