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Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013

Enforcement, liability, and appeals - Offences relating to defective disclosure and false statements

512: General offence for false or misleading statements

You could also call this:

"Telling lies or giving wrong information in important documents is against the law"

Illustration for Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013

If you make a false or misleading statement in a document related to the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, you commit an offence. You must not make a statement that you know is false or misleading. This applies to any document that is required by or for the purposes of this Act.

If you are found guilty of making a false or misleading statement, you could face imprisonment for up to 5 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. This is a serious penalty for providing incorrect information in a document related to the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.

You can find more information about similar laws by looking at the Securities Act 1986, which had a similar provision.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM4702280.

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511: Offence of knowingly or recklessly contravening other provisions relating to defective disclosure, or

"Breaking disclosure rules on purpose or by being reckless can get you in trouble with the law."

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513: Infringement offences, or

"Breaking the law: what happens if you're accused of a minor offence"

Part 8Enforcement, liability, and appeals
Offences relating to defective disclosure and false statements

512General offence for false or misleading statements

  1. Every person commits an offence who, with respect to a document required by or for the purposes of this Act, makes, or authorises the making of, a statement in it that is false or misleading in a material particular knowing it to be false or misleading.

  2. A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, a fine not exceeding $200,000, or both.

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