Section 69 – Commission’s duty in relation to offences or misconduct by judicial officer
212.Where the Commission becomes aware that a judicial officer has been convicted by a court of any offence or admits misconduct under section 67(4)(a), the Commission must refer the matter to the disciplinary committee to be dealt with under section 71.
213.Subsection (3) of section 69 specifies that “offence” means any offence which the judicial officer has been convicted of before or after being granted a commission as a judicial officer, other than any offence disclosed in his or her application for a commission. This is subject, however, to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, so that a person applying for a commission as a judicial officer need not disclose spent convictions and a judicial officer cannot be suspended or deprived from office because of such spent convictions.