Citation, commencement and interpretation

1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Liberia (Technical Assistance and Financing and Financial Assistance) (Penalties and Licences) Regulations 2004 and shall come into force on 26th February 2004.

(2) In these Regulations—

“ the EC Regulation ” means Council Regulation

“ customs and excise Acts ” has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 .

Offences

2. Any person who, except under the authority of a licence granted by the Secretary of State under these Regulations, directly or indirectly infringes any of the following prohibitions in the EC Regulation:

(a) Article 2(a), prohibiting the grant, sale, supply or transfer to any person, entity or body in, or for use in, Liberia of technical assistance related to military activities, and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of arms and related material of all types; or

(b) Article 2(b), prohibiting the provision of financing or financial assistance related to military activities for any sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related material, to any person, entity or body in, or for use in Liberia; or

(c) Article 2(c), prohibiting the participation, knowingly and intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to promote the transactions referred to in Article 2(a) and 2(b),

shall be guilty of an offence and may be arrested.

Licences

3. —(1) Authorisation for the transactions set out in regulation 2, as provided for in Article 3 of the EC Regulation, shall in the United Kingdom be by way of a licence in writing granted by the Secretary of State.

(2) If, for the purpose of obtaining a licence, any person,

(a) makes any statement or furnishes any document or information which to his knowledge is false in a material particular, or

(b) recklessly makes any statement or furnishes any document or information which is false in a material particular,

he shall be guilty of an offence; and any licence granted in connection with the application for which the false statement was made or the false document or information furnished shall be void as from the time it was granted.

(3) Any person who, having acted under the authority of a licence granted under this Regulation, fails to comply with any of the requirements or conditions to which the licence is subject shall be guilty of an offence, unless

(a) the licence had been previously modified by the Secretary of State without that person’s consent, and

(b) the alleged failure to comply would not have been a failure had the licence not been so modified.

Penalties

4. —(1) A person guilty of any offence under regulation 2, 3(2) or (3) above shall be liable

(a) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both; or

(b) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum.

(2) Notwithstanding that the offence in regulation 2 above is not, by virtue of the term of imprisonment for which a person may be sentenced in respect of it, an arrestable offence within the meaning of the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland Order) 1989, Article 26(2) of that Order (in Northern Ireland) shall apply to the offence as if it were mentioned therein, and the offence shall accordingly be an arrestable offence within the meaning of the Order.

(3)Section 138 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (provision as to arrest of persons) shall apply to the arrest of any person for any offence under regulation 2 as it applies to the arrest of any person for any offence under the customs and excise Acts.

(4) Sections 145 to 148 and 150 to 155 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (proceedings for offences, mitigation of penalties, proof and other matters) shall apply in relation to the offences and penalties under these Regulations and proceedings for such offences as they apply in relation to offences and penalties and proceedings for offences under the customs and excise Acts.

(5) Nothing in subsections (1) to (4) of section 145 of the said Act (institution of proceedings for offences under the customs and excise Acts to be by order of the Commissioners) shall prevent the institution of proceedings by the Secretary of State for any offence under regulation 2.