An abuse of power offence is committed where a person in public office misuses her/his power so as to benefit herself/himself or someone else.
Examples:
- A procurement official working for the public highways agency improperly ensures that the highways agency awards a contract to a construction company which is secretly owned by him.
- A public official in charge of running a project by-passes the normal employment procedures in order to appoint a family member or friend to a senior project management position.
- A government minister hopes to benefit corruptly from a project by demanding bribes for the award of project contracts. Consequently, he requires his staff to suppress a feasibility report which concludes that the project should not go ahead.
Avoiding abuse of power:
If you are a public official, always act honestly and objectively in the best interests of the government. Never act in your personal interest.
Do not (whether or not you are a public official) participate in or facilitate an abuse of power. For example, if you are a contract manager of a supplier, and a public official awards a contract to that supplier without a competitive tender in breach of procurement regulations, you could be liable for facilitating the public official’s abuse of power if you allow the supplier to accept the improper award.