UK Offence Report

Finance: information offences

regulation 25(1) of The Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

The provision has been revoked and no saving provision preserving liability for earlier conduct was found.

What the provision says

1 A person commits an offence, if that person—

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 under regulation 23 (finance: powers to request information);

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 any provision of regulation 23 (finance: powers to request information) or 24 (finance: production of documents), destroys, mutilates, defaces, conceals or removes any document;

d otherwise intentionally obstructs the Treasury in the exercise of their powers under regulation 23 (finance: powers to request information) or 24 (finance: production of documents).

Text as made, from legislation.gov.uk. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This is the text as originally made; later amendments are not shown here.

Who it binds, and what has to be proved

Binds
a person
Conduct
obstructing an official exercising a power
Fault element
Requires proof of a state of mind
Burden of proof
An element of the offence, for the prosecution to prove

The prosecution must prove both that the conduct happened and that it was done with the state of mind the provision names (intentionally, knowingly, knowingly or recklessly, recklessly, with intent to).

“Without reasonable excuse” here is an element of the offence rather than a defence, so its absence is for the prosecution to prove (R v Charles [2009] EWCA Crim 1570).

Classifier’s reasoning: mens rea word in the offence-creating words: knowingly, intentionally, with intent to, recklessly, knowingly or recklessly; qualified by reasonable excuse (an element; prosecution disproves once raised).

The defence, as drafted

1 A person commits an offence, if that person— 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 under regulation 23 (finance: powers to request information); b knowingly or recklessly gives any informatio

What would breach regulation 25(1)?

These are illustrations, not law. They are generated from the provision’s own words to show the shape of the offence. Whether any particular conduct is caught depends on the full text, on any amendment since, and on the facts.

  1. Refusing to let an inspector onto premises they are entitled to enter under the Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
  2. Sending an official away, or telling staff to say nothing, where the power being exercised does not depend on anyone's consent.
  3. Physically blocking an examination, or removing something an officer has said they intend to inspect.

Penalty

Mode of trial
Not determined
Maximum fine
Not determined
Maximum prison (summary)
Not determined

no penalty is stated in this instrument; it may be in the enabling Act, or in a general penalties provision this pass did not connect to the offence.

No penalty was determined from this instrument. It may be in the enabling Act, or in a general penalties provision this pass did not connect to the offence. Absence of a figure here is not evidence that the offence carries no penalty.

Sentencing

Offences of this kind are usually sentenced under the guidelines below. This is a mapping by subject, not a finding about this provision, and the links go to a search of the Sentencing Council’s own site.

Prosecution figures

The Ministry of Justice records offences under this instrument against offence code 11406 — 11406 - Summary offences under the Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. That code may cover several provisions of the instrument, so a count against it is not a count of prosecutions under this provision alone.

No published per-offence figure was found for this provision. Offences created by statutory instrument very largely do not have their own code in the MoJ’s Outcomes by Offence data tool. Absence of a figure is not evidence that the offence is unused.

Status and lifecycle

Current status
Revoked
Revoked by
The Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (Overseas Territories) Order 2020
Made
14 March 2019
In force from
Not determined
Extent
Not stated

How this was established: the instrument was revoked by a later instrument found in this corpus.

What the instrument is for

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — the explanatory note published with the instrument, © Crown copyright.

These Regulations are made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (c.13) (“SAMLA”) to establish a sanctions regime to further the prevention of terrorism in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, to protect the interests of national security in the United Kingdom and to implement the United Kingdom’s international obligations under resolution 1373 (2001) adopted by the Security Council of the United Nations on 28 September 2001 (“resolution 1373”). Following the repeal by section 59(1) of SAMLA of Part 1 of the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 (“TAFA”), these Regulations will continue to implement the United Kingdom’s obligations under resolution 1373. The Regulations confer a power on the Treasury to designate persons who are, or have been, involved in terrorism. Designated persons will be subject to financial sanctions, including having their funds and economic resources frozen. The Regulations provide for certain exceptions to this sanctions regime, in particular in relation to financial sanctions (for example to allow for frozen accounts to be credited with interest or other earnings) and also acts done for the purpose of national security or the prevention of serious crime. The Regulations confer powers on the Treasury to issue licences in respect of activities that would otherwise be prohibited under the financial sanctions imposed. The Regulations make it a criminal offence to contravene, or circumvent, any of the prohibitions in these Regulations and prescribe the mode of trial and penalties that apply to such offences. The Regulations prescribe powers for the provision and sharing of information to enable the effective implementation and enforcement of the sanctions regime. The Regulations provide transitional provisions for the continuation of applicable exceptions and licences currently relied on under TAFA. An Impact Assessment has not been produced for these Regulations, This instrument is intended to substantially deliver the same policy effects as the existing UK sanctions. An impact assessment was, however, produced for the primary legislation and can be found at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/20172019/0069/sanctions-and-anti-money-laundering-IA.pdf. Copies may be obtained from Her Majesty’s Treasury, Sanctions and Illicit Finance Team, International & EU Group, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ.

Read the full note and every offence in this instrument

How this became law

This instrument became law without a debate or a vote. Under the negative procedure it took effect unless a motion to stop it succeeded, and none was tabled.

Neither House could have amended it. A statutory instrument is put to each House as a whole thing, to be approved or not; the Houses can reject an instrument or record their regret, but they cannot change a word of it. That is the constitutional position for every offence on this site.

The full procedural history →

What Parliament said

Mentions of this instrument in Hansard. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Other offences in the same instrument

How this was identified as an offence

Everything above rests on the judgement that this provision creates a criminal offence, rather than mentioning one. That judgement is made by rule, from the words of the provision, and this is the rule that made it — with a confidence of 0.92.

Basis
the provision says a person “commits an offence”
Confidence
0.92 of 1.00

A provision that states a penalty for an offence created elsewhere can read very like one that creates an offence, and the rules can mistake the one for the other. If the text quoted above sets a penalty for something made an offence by another provision, treat the classification on this page with that in mind, and read the instrument.

Check the source