ATTORNEY-AT-LAW CLYDE Williams has proposed harsher punishment for members of the judiciary and the legislature who are convicted of corruption.

He made the recommendation, last week in Gordon House, while making a submission to a joint select committee of Parliament considering the Corruption Pre-vention (Special Prosecutor) Act 2008.

'Soft' penalties

Describing the penalties in the draft legislation as "soft", Williams said he did not agree with the proposal to match penalties in the bill with those listed in the Larceny Act.

Making a case for more severe penalties, the attorney said corruption had negative consequences for the viability of a state and its institutions.

Williams suggested that the legislature should adopt the New Zealand approach whereby judges and ministers of government found guilty of corruption would be slapped with sentences of up to 14 years in prison.

'Slap on the wrist'

He noted that most of the offences in the bill would be tried in resident magistrate's courts, which means that the penalties would be restricted to a maximum of three to four years.

Williams described a judgment that was handed down against a magistrate as a "slap on the wrist" for perverting the course of justice.

"We are concerned about the venue for the offences to be tried," he said.

He said a high court judge should adjudicate over a case involving corruption, so that the penalties matched the crime.