Freedom of the Mass Media and Access to Information Proclamation No ... 13 of 23 http://www.ethiopian-law.com/federal-laws/substantive-law-legislations... committee other than a document by which a decision of the cabinet was officially published. 25. Economic Interests and Financial Welfare of the Country and Commercial Activities of Public Bodies 1) The public relation officer may refuse a request for access to a record of the body or a request to conform the existence or non existence of any information if its disclosure would likely to jeopardize the economic interests or financial welfare of the nation or the ability of the government to mange the economy of the country. 2) The information referred to in sub-article (1) includes, without limiting the generality of that sub article, information about; a) a contemplated change in , or maintenance of, a policy substantially affecting the currency, coinage, legal tender, exchange rates or foreign investment; b) a contemplated change in or decision not to change; credit or interest rates, customs or excise duties, taxes or nay other source of revenue, the regulation or supervision of financial institutions, government borrowing, or the regulation of prices of goods or services, rents or wages, salaries or other incomes; or c) a contemplated sale or acquisition of immovable or movable property or a contemplated international trade agreement. 3) The information referred to in sub-article (2)(c) includes, without limiting the generality of that sub article, information about an agreement, or contemplated agreement, to transfer any interest in or right to shares in the capital of a public body to any person which is not a public body refereed to in article (2)(4) of the definition of 'public body 4) unless the record consists information already publicly available or information about or owned by public body other than the public body to which the request is made ,which has consented in writing to its disclosure to the requester ,or information about results of any product or environmental testing or other investigations carried out by or on behalf of the public body the disclosure of which would reveal serious public safety or environmental risk, The public relation officer shall refuse access to a record if the record contains; a) trade secrets of the state or a public body; b) financial, commercial, scientific or technical information, other than trade secrets, the disclosure of which would be likely to cause harm to the commercial or financial interests of the state or a public body; c) information, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to prejudice a public body in commercial competition or to put a public body at a disadvantage in contractual or other negotiations. 26. Operations of Public Bodies 1) a) The public relation officer shall refuse a request for access to a record of the body if; the record contains an opinion, advice, report or recommendation obtained or prepared or an account of a consultation, discussion or deliberation that has occurred, including, but not limited to, minutes of a meeting, for the purpose of assisting to formulate a policy or take a decision in the exercise of a power or performance of a duty conferred or imposed by law; or b) the disclosure of the record could reasonably be expected to frustrate the deliberative process in a public body or between public bodies by inhibiting the candid communication of an opinion, advice, report of recommendation or conduct Translate Share My Bookmarks 10/01/2011 4:15 PM