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Organised Crime Bill passes second reading

Organised Crime Bill passes second reading

A Bill that cracks down on organised crime and corruption has passed its second reading in Parliament today.

Justice Minister Amy Adams says the Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill implements a number of measures to strengthen New Zealand’s response to organised crime both domestically and abroad.

“This Government has a zero-tolerance approach to organised crime. We’re continually working to prevent and address the threat posed by illicit activities such as money laundering, fraud and drug-related crime,” Ms Adams says.

“This Bill recognises that our strong reputation for being free of bribery and corruption is one of New Zealand’s core assets on the international stage. We must ensure our laws reflect the seriousness of such actions.

“In the modern age, organised crime and corruption are often carried out by perpetrators who operate trans-nationally. This Bill improves the ability of New Zealand authorities to co-operate with international partners and enhances our compliance with a number of international conventions,” Ms Adams says.

The new measures in the Bill include:
• extending the human trafficking offence to ensure it covers trafficking within New Zealand, in line with the current law that prohibits human trafficking into and out of the country
• requiring banks to report all international wire transfers over $1,000 and all physical cash transactions of $10,000 or more to the Financial Intelligence Unit within Police
• redrafting the money laundering offence to specify that intent to conceal is not required
• introducing new offences to address identity crime, including selling or passing on identity information
• amending the Policing Act 2008 to expressly provide Police with a power to share information with its international counterparts
• making both fines and imprisonment available as sanctions for the offence of foreign bribery, and clarifying the circumstances in which a corporation is liable for this offence
• increasing penalties for bribery and corruption in the private sector to bring them into line with public sector bribery offences.

“This Bill signals New Zealand’s support for the international fight against organised crime and corruption and affirms our international standing as a world leader in this area,” Ms Adams says.

ENDS

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