Section 44 — Crimes Act 1914: Compounding offences

(1) A person (the first person) commits an offence if: (a) the first person: (i) asks for, receives or obtains any property, or benefit, of any kind for himself or herself or another person; or (ii) agrees to receive or to obtain any property, or benefit, of any kind for himself or herself or another person; and (b) the first person does so upon an agreement or understanding that the first person will: (i) compound or conceal an offence; or (ii) abstain from, discontinue or delay a prosecution for an offence; or (iii) withhold evidence of an offence; and (c) the offence referred to in paragraph (b) is an indictable offence against a law of: (i) the Commonwealth; or (ii) a Territory. Penalty: Imprisonment for 3 years. (2) Absolute liability applies to the paragraph (1)(c) element of the offence. Note: For absolute liability, see section 6.2 of the Criminal Code.