Bill 12 2026 - Bill No. 12 - Interpretation and General Provisions (Amendment) Bill 2026

[29th June 20 2 6 ] Interpretat i on and General Provisions (Amendment) Agency Bill 1 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES BILL INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2026 (Bill No. 12 of 2026) EXPLANATORY STATEMENT OF THE OBJECTS AND REASONS FOR THE BILL 1. The Interpretation and General Provisions Act (Cap. 103) provides certain standard definitions, rules of construction and general legal principles for interpreting all other written laws. 2. Section 22 of the Act provides for meanings of certain words in the Act. In some of the definitions provided in the section 22, references have been made to certain sections of 1979 Constitution. It is proposed to change those references and provide the correct references of the present Constitution. 3. Section 54 of the Act provides for offences by body corporates. In cases where a body corporate commits an offence under an Act for which only penalty prescribed is the term of imprisonment, the body corporate shall be publishable with a fine on the basis of term of imprisonment. It is proposed to enhance the fine to SCR100,000 in case of punishment is upto six months; SCR 200,000 in case of punishment is more than six months and upto two years; and SCR 300,000, if the punishment is more than two years. 4. Section 68 of the Act provides for power to make statutory instruments. It is proposed to repeal and replace the said section with a new section to, inter alia, provide that the Statutory instruments made under an Act may constitute offences; and provide, in respect of any such offence, for the imposition by way of penalty of a fine not exceeding SCR200,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years. 5. This Bill seeks to achieve the above objectives. Dated this 26th day of June, 2026. VINSENT S. PERERA ATTORNEY GENERAL ——————— [29th June 20 2 6 ] Interpretat i on and General Provisions (Amendment) Agency Bill 2 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES BILL INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2026 (Bill No. 12 of 2026) ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS SECTIONS 1. Short title 2. Amendment of section 22 3. Amendment of section 54 4. Substitution of section 68 [29th June 20 2 6 ] Interpretat i on and General Provisions (Amendment) Agency Bill 3 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES BILL INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2026 (Bill No. 12 of 2026) A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS ACT (CAP. 103). ENACTED BY THE PRESIDENT AND THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. Short title 1. This Act may be cited as the Interpretation and General Provisions (Amendment) Act, 2026. [29th June 20 2 6 ] Interpretat i on and General Provisions (Amendment) Agency Bill 4 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES BILL Amendment of section 22 2. The Interpretation and General Provisions Act (Cap.103) (hereinafter referred to as “the principal Act”) is amended in subsection (1) of section 22 — (a) in the definition of the term “Act” — (i) by repealing the word and figures “section 58” in paragraph (a) and therefor substituting the word and figures “article 86”; (ii) by repealing the words and figures “section 15 of the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles Decree, 1979” in paragraph (b) and therefor substituting the words and figures “paragraph 2 of SCHEDULE 7 to the Constitution”; (b) by repealing the definition of “Assembly” or “People's Assembly” and therefor substituting the following definition — ‘ “Assembly” means the National Assembly established under article 77 of the Constitution;'; (c) by repealing the words and letters “in terms of Part II” in the definition of “citizen of Seychelles” and therefor substituting the words and letters “in terms of Chapter II”. Amendment of section 54 3. Subsection (2) of section 54 of the principal Act is amended — (i) in paragraph (a), by repealing the words and figure “a fine of level 2 on the standard scale” and therefor substituting the words and figures “shall not exceed SCR 100,000”; (ii) in paragraph (b), by repealing the words and figure “a fine of level 3 on the standard scale” and therefor substituting the words and figures “shall not exceed SCR 200,000”; (iii) in paragraph (c), by repealing the words and figure “a fine of level 4 on the standard scale” and therefor substituting the words and figures “shall not exceed SCR 300,000”. Repeal and substitution of section 68 4. Section 68 of the principal Act is hereby repealed and therefor substituting the following section — “Power to make statutory instruments 68.(1) Statutory instruments made under an Act may — [29th June 20 2 6 ] Interpretat i on and General Provisions (Amendment) Agency Bill 5 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES BILL (a) constitute offences; and (b) provide, in respect of any such offence, for the imposition by way of penalty of a fine not exceeding SCR200,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years. (2) The power under an Act to make statutory instruments may be exercised — (a) either in relation to all cases to which the power extends or in relation to all of those cases subject to specified exceptions or in relation to any specified case or class of case; and (b) so as to make, as respects the cases in relation to which it is exercised, (i) the same provision for all the cases, a different provision for different cases or classes of cases or different provisions for the same case or classes of cases for different purposes of the Act; or (ii) any such provision either unconditionally or subject to any specified condition.”.