(1)Notwithstanding any limitation on the time for the taking of proceedings contained in any enactment, summary proceedings for any offence under this Act may, subject to subsection (2) below, be commenced by the Commission at any time within the period of one year beginning with the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the Commission to justify a prosecution for the offence, comes to its knowledge.
(2)Nothing in subsection (1) above shall authorise the commencement of proceedings for any offence at a time more than three years after the date on which the offence was committed.
(3)For the purposes of subsection (1) above a certificate, purporting to be signed by or on behalf of the Commission, as to the date on which such evidence as is mentioned in that subsection came to its knowledge, shall be conclusive evidence of that date.
(4)In the application of this section to Scotland, in subsection (1) the words “by the Commission” shall be omitted and in this section references to the Commission shall be read as references to the Lord Advocate.
(5)In the application of this section to Scotland, section 331(1) of the [1975 c. 21.] Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 shall apply for the purposes of this section as it applies for the purposes of that section.