Bounty Hunters' Guild (Golden Empire)

The Bounty Hunters' Guild of the Golden Empire was a quasi-independent confederation of bounty hunters operating in the Empire's territory. The Guild created and enforced various regulations for bounty hunters, ensuring that those licensed to hunt bounties met at least some standard of sanity, professionalism, and humane conduct. Hunters licensed by the Guild were the only beings legally allowed to pursue criminals or suspects in the Empire, aside from system law enforcement and the Order of Keltrayu, until 151 ABY. Capturing a bounty without a license was a criminal offense punishable by fining or imprisonment.

Queen Rin Sakaros approved the Bounty Hunters' Code of the known galaxy for her Guild, but unlike that of the known galaxy, the Guild's Code was written down and constituted a basic set of rules licensed hunters were expected to obey. Failure to obey the Code could result in a hunter being stripped of his license.

The Guild technically answered to the Ministry of Justice, but was generally given a very free hand to conduct its operations. Guild leaders decided criteria for admitting new hunters, issued hunting licenses on behalf of the Empire, devised various regulations for hunters, and coordinated with local law enforcement to punish unlicensed hunters or those who broke the Code. Only if a hunter became a conspicuous threat to public order would he be hunted down by Centurions.

The creation of the Royal Corps of Gendarmes as part of the 65 Reforms was viewed with apprehension by some members of the Guild, as the Gendarmes were a law enforcement body with Empire-wide jurisdiction. Some bounty hunters were hired as advisors to the Fugitive Apprehension Division of the Gendarmes.