The directors of a public company must lay before the company in general meeting copies of its annual accounts and reports.

This section must be complied with not later than the end of the period for filing the accounts and reports in question.

In the Companies Acts“accounts meeting”, in relation to a public company, means a general meeting of the company at which the company's annual accounts and reports are (or are to be) laid in accordance with this section.

If the requirements of section 437 (public companies: laying of accounts and reports before general meeting) are not complied with before the end of the period allowed, every person who immediately before the end of that period was a director of the company commits an offence.

It is a defence for a person charged with such an offence to prove that he took all reasonable steps for securing that those requirements would be complied with before the end of that period.

It is not a defence to prove that the documents in question were not in fact prepared as required by this Part.

A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale and, for continued contravention, a daily default fine not exceeding F1one-tenth of level 5 on the standard scaleF1one-tenth of the greater of £5,000 or level 4 on the standard scale.