Singapore legislation

Section 66

of Banking Act 1970

Section 66

Offences by directors or executive officers and false or misleading information

Amended by1/20205/20161/20201/2020

(1)

Subject to subsection (5), any director or executive officer of a bank in Singapore or merchant bank in Singapore who fails to take all reasonable steps to secure compliance by the bank or merchant bank (as the case may be) with any provision of this Act or any other written law applicable to banks in Singapore or merchant banks in Singapore (as the case may be) shall, if such failure is not already an offence under any other provision of this Act, be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $125,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both.

Amended by1/2020

(2)

Any person who —

(a)

provides any information or document to the Minister or the Authority under or for the purposes of any provision of this Act which is false or misleading in a material particular; and

(b)

does not use reasonable care to ensure that the information or document is not false or misleading in any material particular,shall, if the provision of such information or document which is false or misleading in a material particular is not already an offence under any other provision of this Act, be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction —

(c)

in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding $125,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both; or

(d)

in any other case, to a fine not exceeding $250,000.

Amended by5/2016

(3)

In any proceedings against a person under subsection (1) or (2), it is a defence for the person to prove that —

(a)

the person had reasonable grounds for believing that a competent and reliable person was charged with the duty of securing compliance with the provision of this Act or any other written law applicable to banks in Singapore or merchant banks in Singapore (as the case may be), or with the duty of ensuring that the information or document is not false or misleading in any material particular, as the case may be; and

(b)

the person was in a position to discharge that duty.

Amended by1/2020

(4)

A person shall not be sentenced to imprisonment for any offence under subsection (1) or (2) unless, in the opinion of the court, the person committed the offence wilfully.

(5)

Despite subsection (1), no director or executive officer shall be guilty of an offence under that subsection where the non‑compliance by the bank or merchant bank with any provision of this Act or any other written law applicable to banks or merchant banks (as the case may be) results only in the imposition of a financial penalty on the bank or merchant bank, as the case may be.

Amended by1/2020