1Punishment of corrupt transactions with agents.

(1)If any agent corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain, from any person, for himself or for any other person, any gift or consideration as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do, or for having after the passing of this Act, done or forborne to do, any act in relation to his principal's affairs or business, or for showing or forbearing to show favour or disfavour, to any ;person in relation to his principal's affairs or business ; or

If any person corruptly gives or agrees to give or offers any gift or consideration to any agent as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do, or for having after the passing of this Act done or forborne to do, any act in relation to his principal's affairs or business, or for showing or forbearing to show favour or disfavour to any person in relation to his principal's affairs or business ; or

If any person knowingly gives to any agent, or if any agent knowingly uses with intent to deceive his principal, any receipt, account, or other document in respect of which the principal is interested, and which contains any statement which is false or erroneous or defective in any material particular, and which to his knowledge is intended to mislead the principal;

he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding two years, or to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds, or to both such imprisonment and such fine, or on summary conviction to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding four months, or to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds, or to both such imprisonment and such fine.

(2)For the purposes of this Act the expression " consideration " includes valuable consideration of any kind ; the expression " agent" includes any person employed by or acting for another; and the expression "principal" includes an employer.

(3)A person serving under the Crown or under any corporation or any municipal, borough, county, or district council, or any board of guardians, is an agent within the meaning of this Act.

2Prosecution of offences.

(1)A prosecution for an offence under this Act shall not be instituted without the consent, in England of the Attorney-General or Solicitor-General, and in Ireland of the Attorney-General or Solicitor-General for Ireland.

(2)The [22 7amp; 23 Vict. c. 17.] Vexatious Indictments Act, 1859, as amended by any subsequent enactment, shall apply to offences under this Act as if they were included among the offences mentioned in section one of that Act.

(3)Every information for any offence under this Act shall be upon oath.

(4)The expenses of any prosecution on indictment under this Act shall be defrayed as in cases of indictment for felony.

(5)A court of quarter sessions shall not have jurisdiction to inquire of, hear, and determine prosecutions on indictments for offences under this Act.

(6)Any person aggrieved by a summary conviction under this Act may appeal to a court of quarter sessions.

3Application to Scotland.

This Act shall extend to Scotland, subject to the following modifications :—

(1)Section two shall not extend to Scotland :

(2)In Scotland all offences which are punishable under this Act on summary conviction shall be prosecuted before the sheriff in manner provided by the Summary Jurisdiction (Scotland) Acts.

4Short title and commencement.

(1)This Act may be cited as the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1906.

(2)This Act shall come into operation on the first day of January nineteen hundred and seven.