“Designation of certain states or territorial units.

57A.—(1) The Minister may by order, after consultation with the Minister for Finance, designate any state, or territorial unit within a state, that in his or her opinion has not in place adequate procedures for the detection of money laundering.

(2) Any person or body to whom or which section 32 of this Act applies (including any director, employee or officer thereof) shall report to the Garda Síochána any transaction connected with a state or territorial unit that stands designated under subsection (1).

(3) A person charged by law with the supervision of a person or body to whom or which section 32 of this Act applies shall report to the Garda Síochána if the person suspects that a transaction referred to in subsection (2) has taken place and that that subsection has not been complied with by the person or body with whose supervision the first-mentioned person is so charged.

(4) A report may be made to the Garda Síochána under this section in accordance with an internal reporting procedure established by an employer for the purpose of facilitating the operation of this section.

(5) In the case of a person who was in employment at the relevant time, it shall be a defence to a charge of committing an offence under this section that the person charged made a report of the type referred to in subsection (2) or (3) of this section, as the case may be, to another person in accordance with an internal reporting procedure established for the purpose specified in subsection (4) of this section.

(6) A person who fails to comply with subsection (2) or (3) of this section is guilty of an offence and liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to both.

(7) In determining whether a person has complied with any of the requirements of this section, a court may take account of any relevant supervisory or regulatory guidance which applies to that person or any other relevant guidance issued by a body that regulates, or is representative of, any trade, profession, business or employment carried on by that person.

(8) Where a person or body discloses in good faith information in the course of making a report under subsection (2) or (3) of this section, the disclosure shall not be treated as a breach of any restriction on the disclosure of information imposed by statute or otherwise or involve the person or body making the disclosure (or any director, employee or officer of the body) in liability of any kind.

(9) The Minister may by order, after consultation with the Minister for Finance, amend or revoke an order under this section, including an order under this subsection.”.