Public interest
Public officials serve the public interest when they faithfully perform their official duties. This means that where a conflict arises because of some of the interests described under 'personal interests', the personal interest will not be pursued.
For example, a bribe to make a particular decision will be rejected, decisions will not be influenced by the hope of an offer of employment, confidential information will not be used for private gain and Government property will not be used for private purposes.
In respect of other interests, the public official should disclose the conflict of interest to the chief executive officer and appropriate arrangements should be made to deal with the conflict, usually by reassigning the task to another official. This is so not only when there is an actual conflict of interest but also when there appears to be a conflict of interest or when there is a potential for a conflict of interest to arise.