Section 3

Upon receiving an application to obtain a permit under this Act and on payment of the fee prescribed in the First Schedule and of any deposit of the amount prescribed in the Second Schedule, the Minister may grant a permit subject to such conditions as he may determine, which shall be endorsed thereon.

Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the

Minister may, in determining the conditions of the permit, specify that the maximum number of copies for each issue of the newspaper which may be printed, published, sold or distributed in Brunei Darussalam shall be determined by him.

Every such permit, unless sooner revoked or suspended, shall be valid for one year from the date of its issue, and may be renewed for further periods not exceeding 12 months in respect of each renewal.

The Minister may, after giving the applicant or permit holder, as the case may be, an opportunity to be heard, at any time and on any grounds and without assigning a reason therefor, refuse to grant or revoke, or may suspend for such period as he thinks fit, a permit to any local newspaper or any overseas newspaper.

Any decision of the Minister to refuse to grant, revoke or suspend the permit shall be final and shall not be called in question by any court on any ground whatsoever.

Notice of the grant, refusal to grant, revocation or suspension of a permit under this section shall be published in the Gazette.

The deposit under subsection (1) shall be available to pay any fine which may be imposed upon the proprietor, printer, publisher or editor of the newspaper in question, either under this Act or in respect of any matter appearing in the newspaper, and shall also be available to pay any damages that may be awarded in any action for libel in respect of any matter appearing in the newspaper and the costs of any such action.

Newspapers

B.L.R.O. 5/2013 5

The Registrar may direct that the whole of such deposit or such part as may be necessary shall be paid out in respect of such fine, damages or costs and that the deposit shall be maintained to the amount prescribed in the

Second Schedule.

The proprietor, printer, publisher or editor may, at any time, give notice to the Registrar that he does not desire to renew the permit and the

Registrar may, after the expiry of the permit, direct that the sum deposited in respect of the newspaper, or so much of such sum as remains deposited, shall be paid to the person entitled to receive it.

No newspaper to be published without permit.