THE GOVERNMENT bowed slightly last night to media pressure on the Corruption Prevention Bill, although penalties for publishing material obtained from a proposed Corruption Commission will remain.

At the same time, Minister of National Security and Justice, K.D. Knight who piloted the amended version through the House of Representatives, warned private sector persons with seats on public sector boards that they too would be subject to its provisions.

"Many persons who don't understand this Bill, don't know the scope and breadth of this Bill, are making comments that perhaps would not have been made had they read it," he said.

The Minister said the country was going to look forward, with some amount of excitement, to the list of persons who would be called on to make declarations.

"There are a number of persons who like to sit on boards. There are a number of persons who like to regard themselves as independent. They are the objective individuals within the society who sit on some of these boards. Their declarations will be asked for," he told Parliament.

According to the Minister, there was a focus on public service, public functions and public servants.

"But there is an equal side to it that deals with the private sector on equal time," he said.

"With anxiety the country will await some members of the private sector being called on to make their declarations. Some of them are in journalism. I hope they know they will now feel a duty and obligation to make their private business public," Mr. Knight said.

The Minister had offered the amendments last week as a compromise after vigorous objection from the media to the provisions of clause six of the Bill, which threatens imprisonment and/or fines for publishing material obtained without approval from the Commission.

The amendments tabled yesterday, establish the media will still be subjected to penalties for publishing unapproved material from the proposed Commission's files. These penalties have been reduced however to the same levels as those for public servants guilty of passing them on. The media will also now be subject to trial in a Resident Magistrate's Court, like the public employee.

Previously, the penalties for the media were fines of up to $1 million and/or up to ten years in prison after trial in the Circuit Court. These were reduced to up to $500,000 and/or up to three years in prison, yesterday.

However, Mr. Knight's delight at what he perceived to have been the end of the onerous task of getting the Bill passed was short-lived. Acting Speaker, Mr. Michael Peart, on the advice of the Clerks to Parliament, quickly informed him the Bill still had to go back to the Senate on Friday.

Knight warning for private sector