(1)A person guilty of an offence of illegal payment, employment or hiring shall, on summary conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, or, in Northern Ireland, to a fine not exceeding £100; and on a prosecution for such an offence it shall be sufficient to allege that the person charged was guilty of an illegal payment, employment or hiring as the case may be.
(2)A candidate or election agent who is personally guilty of an offence of illegal payment, employment or hiring shall be guilty of an illegal practice, and if an offence of illegal payment, employment or hiring is committed with the candidate's knowledge and consent at an election where candidates are not required to have election agents, the candidate shall be guilty of an illegal practice.
(3)Any person charged with an offence of illegal payment, employment or hiring may be found guilty of that offence, notwithstanding that the act constituting the offence amounted to a corrupt or illegal practice.