Customs Consolidation Act 1876

217 Penalty on officers, and persons making collusive seizures, or taking bribes, and on persons offering them.

If any officer of Customs or other person duly employed for the prevention of smuggling shall make any collusive seizure, or deliver up, or make any agreement to deliver up or not to seize any vessel or boat or any goods liable to forfeiture, or shall take any bribe, gratuity, recompense, or reward for the neglect or non-performance of his duty, or conspire or connive with any person to import or bring into the United Kingdom or the Channel Islands or any of the British Possessions abroad, or be in any way concerned in the importation or bringing into the United Kingdom or the said islands or possessions, of any goods prohibited to be imported or liable to duties of Customs, for the purpose of seizing any ship, boat, or goods, and obtaining any reward for such seizure or otherwise, every such officer or other person shall forfeit for every such offence the sum of five hundred pounds, and be rendered incapable of serving Her Majesty in any office, either civil, naval or military; and every person who shall give or offer, or promise to give or procure to be given, any bribe, recompense, or reward to, or shall make any collusive agreement with, any such officer or person as aforesaid to induce him in any way to neglect his duty or to do, conceal, or connive at any act whereby any of the provisions of any Act of Parliament relating to the Customs may be evaded, shall forfeit the sum of two hundred pounds.