Regulation 9
1.—(1) A relevant institution must inform the Treasury as soon as practicable if—
(a)it knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a person has committed an offence under regulation 4; and
(b)the information or other matter on which the knowledge or suspicion is based came to it in the course of carrying on its business.
(2) Where a relevant institution informs the Treasury under sub-paragraph (1), it must state—
(a)the information or other matter on which the knowledge or suspicion is based; and
(b)any information it holds about the person by which the person can be identified.
(3) A relevant institution that fails to comply with any requirement of sub-paragraph (1) or (2) commits an offence.
2.—(1) The Treasury may request any person in or resident in the United Kingdom to provide such information as the Treasury may reasonably require for the purpose of—
(a)monitoring compliance with or detecting evasion of these Regulations; or
(b)obtaining evidence of the commission of an offence under these Regulations.
(2) The Treasury may specify the manner in which, and the period within which, information is to be provided.
(3) If no such period is specified, the information which has been requested must be provided within a reasonable time.
(4) A request may include a continuing obligation to keep the Treasury informed as circumstances change, or on such regular basis as the Treasury may specify.
(5) Information requested under this paragraph may relate to any period of time.
3.—(1) A request under paragraph 2 may include a request to produce specified documents or documents of a specified description.
(2) Where the Treasury request that documents be produced, they may—
(a)take copies of or extracts from any document so produced;
(b)request any person producing a document to give an explanation of it; and
(c)where that person is a body corporate, partnership or unincorporated body other than a partnership, request any person who is—
(i)in the case of a partnership, a present or past partner or employee of the partnership,
(ii)in any other case, a present or past officer or employee of the body concerned;
to give such an explanation.
(3) A person receiving a request from the Treasury that documents be produced must—
(a)take reasonable steps to obtain the documents (if not already in the person’s possession or control);
(b)keep the documents under the person’s possession or control (except for the purpose of providing them to the Treasury or as the Treasury may otherwise permit).
4.—(1) A person commits an offence who—
(a)without reasonable excuse, refuses or fails within the time and in the manner specified (or, if no time has been specified, within a reasonable time) to comply with any request made under this Schedule;
(b)knowingly or recklessly gives any information, or produces any document, which is false in a material particular in response to such a request;
(c)with intent to evade the provisions of this Schedule, destroys, mutilates, defaces, conceals or removes any document; or
(d)otherwise intentionally obstructs the Treasury in the exercise of their powers under this Schedule.
(2) Where a person is convicted of an offence under this paragraph, the court may make an order requiring that person, within such period as may be specified in the order, to comply with the request.
5.—(1) The Treasury may disclose any information obtained by them pursuant to these Regulations to any person for the purpose of facilitating or ensuring compliance with the Council Regulation.
(2) The power in sub-paragraph (1) includes but is not limited to disclosing information to the following persons—
(a)a police officer;
(b)any person holding or acting in any office under or in the service of—
(i)the Crown in right of the Government of the United Kingdom,
(ii)the Crown in right of the Scottish Administration, the Northern Ireland Administration or the Welsh Assembly Government,
(iii)the States of Jersey, Guernsey or Alderney or the Chief Pleas of Sark,
(iv)the Government of the Isle of Man, or
(v)the Government of any British overseas territory;
(c)any law officer of the Crown for Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man;
(d)the Legal Services Commission, the Scottish Legal Aid Board or the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission;
(e)the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Bank of England, the Jersey Financial Services Commission, the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, the Isle of Man Insurance and Pensions Authority or the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission;
(f)any other regulatory body, including those of other Member States; or
(g)the Council of the European Union, the European Commission or the Government of a Member State.
(3) The purpose of facilitating or ensuring compliance with the Council Regulation referred to in sub-paragraph (1) includes but is not limited to the following—
(a)monitoring compliance with, or detecting evasion of, this Regulation or the Council Regulation;
(b)giving assistance or co-operation, pursuant to the Council Regulation; or
(c)taking any action with a view to instituting, or otherwise for the purposes of, any proceedings—
(i)in the United Kingdom, for an offence under these Regulations, or
(ii)in any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or any British overseas territory, for an offence under a similar provision in any such jurisdiction.
(4) The Treasury may disclose any information obtained by them pursuant to these Regulations to any person with the consent of a person who, in their own right, is entitled to the information or to possession of the document, copy or extract.
(5) In sub-paragraph (4) “in their own right” means not merely in the capacity as a servant or agent of another person.
6.—(1) Nothing done under this Schedule is to be treated as a breach of any restriction imposed by statute or otherwise.
(2) But nothing in this Schedule authorises a disclosure that—
(a)contravenes the Data Protection Act 1998(1); or
(b)is prohibited by Part 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000(2).
(3) Nothing in this Schedule is to be read as requiring a person who has acted as counsel or solicitor for any person to disclose any privileged information in their possession in that capacity.
(4) This Schedule does not limit the circumstances in which information may be disclosed apart from this Schedule.
(5) In this paragraph “privileged information” means information with respect to which a claim to legal professional privilege (in Scotland, to confidentiality of communications) could be maintained in legal proceedings.