Companies Act 2014
Offence to make false statements to statutory auditors
389. (1) An officer of a company who knowingly makes a statement to which this section applies that is misleading or false in a material particular, or makes such a statement being reckless as to whether it is so, shall be guilty of a category 2 offence.
(2) This section applies to any statement made to the statutory auditors of a company (whether orally or in writing) which conveys, or purports to convey, any information or explanation which they require under this Act, or are entitled so to require, as statutory auditors of the company.
(3) In this section “officer”, in relation to a company, includes any employee of the company and any shadow director and de facto director of it.
Annotations
Modifications (not altering text):
C114
Subs. (3) applied with modifications (1.01.2020) by European Union (Qualifying Partnerships: Accounting and Auditing) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 597 of 2019), reg. 29, in effect as per reg. 1(2), (3).
Application of section 389 of Principal Act
29. Notwithstanding Regulation 8(2), the reference in section 389(3) of the Principal Act to an officer, in relation to a company, shall, in relation to a qualifying partnership, be construed as including -
(a) a limited partner, and
(b) any employee of the partnership.
C115
Application of section extended (1.01.2020) by European Union (Qualifying Partnerships: Accounting and Auditing) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 597 of 2019), reg. 42(10), in effect as per reg. 1(2), (3).
Offences
42. ...
(10) If a person who is a partner in, or employee of, a qualifying partnership makes a statement referred to in section 389 of the Principal Act as applied by these Regulations -
(a) knowing that it is misleading or false in a material particular, or
(b) being reckless as to whether it is misleading or false in a material particular, that person commits an offence and shall be liable -
(i) on summary conviction, to a class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both, or
(ii) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or both.