Prevention of Fraud (Investments) Act 1958

1 Licensing of dealers in securities

(1) Subject to the provisions of the next following section, no person shall—

(a) carry on or purport to carry on the business of dealing in securities except under the authority of a principal's licence, that is to say, a licence under this Act authorising him to carry on the business of dealing in securities, or

(b) in the capacity of a servant or agent of any person carrying on or purporting to carry on that business, deal or purport to deal in securities except under the authority of a representative's licence, that is to say, a licence under this Act authorising him to deal in securities as a servant or agent of any holder of a principal's licence for the time being in force.

(2) Any person who contravenes this section shall be liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds or to both such imprisonment and such fine or, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds or to both such imprisonment and such fine.

(3) Proceedings for an offence under this section shall not, in England or Wales, be instituted except by, or with the consent of, the Board of Trade or the Director of Public Prosecutions:

Provided that this subsection shall not prevent the arrest, or the issue or execution of a warrant for the arrest, of any person in respect of such an offence, or the remanding, in custody or on bail, of any person charged with such an offence, notwithstanding that the necessary consent to the institution of proceedings for the offence has not been obtained.