Financial Services Act 1986 (Repealed)

94 Investigations. U.K.

(1)The Secretary of State may appoint one or more competent inspectors to investigate and report on—

(a)the affairs of, or of the manager or trustee of, any authorised unit trust scheme;

(b)the affairs of, or of the operator or trustee of, any recognised scheme so far as relating to activities carried on in the United Kingdom; or

(c)the affairs of, or of the operator or trustee of, any other collective investment scheme,

if it appears to the Secretary of State that it is in the interests of the participants to do so or that the matter is of public concern.

(2)An inspector appointed under subsection (1) above to investigate the affairs of, or of the manager, trustee or operator of, any scheme may also, if he thinks it necessary for the purposes of that investigation, investigate the affairs of, or of the manager, trustee or operator of, any other such scheme as is mentioned in that subsection whose manager, trustee or operator is the same person as the manager, trustee or operator of the first-mentioned scheme.

(3)Sections 434 to 436 of the M1Companies Act 1985 (production of documents and evidence to inspectors), . . . F1, shall apply in relation to an inspector appointed under this section as they apply to an inspector appointed under section 431 of that Act but with the modifications specified in subsection (4) below.

(4)In the provisions applied by subsection (3) above for any reference to a company . . . F2 there shall be substituted a reference to the scheme under investigation by virtue of this section . . . F2 and any reference to an officer . . . F2 of the company shall include a reference to any director of the manager, trustee or operator of the scheme.

(5)A person shall not under this section be required to disclose any information or produce any document which he would be entitled to refuse to disclose or produce on grounds of legal professional privilege in proceedings in the High Court or on grounds of confidentiality as between client and professional legal adviser in proceedings in the Court of Session except that a lawyer may be required to furnish the name and address of his client.

(6)Where a person claims a lien on a document its production under this section shall be without prejudice to the lien.

[F3(7)Nothing in this section requires a person (except as mentioned in subsection (7A) below) to disclose any information or produce any document in respect of which he owes an obligation of confidence by virtue of carrying on the business of banking unless—

(a)the person to whom the obligation of confidence is owed consents to the disclosure or production, or

(b)the making of the requirement was authorised by the Secretary of State.

(7A)Subsection (7) does not apply where the person owing the obligation of confidence or the person to whom it is owed is—

(a)the manager, operator or trustee of the scheme under investigation, or

(b)a manager, operator or trustee whose own affairs are under investigation.]

(8)An inspector appointed under this section may, and if so directed by the Secretary of State shall, make interim reports to the Secretary of State and on the conclusion of his investigation shall make a final report to him.

[F4(8A)If it appears to the Secretary of State that matters have come to light in the course of the inspectors’ investigation which suggest that a criminal offence has been committed, and those matters have been referred to the appropriate prosecuting authority, he may direct the inspectors to take no further steps in the investigation or to take only such further steps as are specified in the direction.

(8B)Where an investigation is the subject of a direction under subsection (8A), the inspectors shall make a final report to the Secretary of State only where the Secretary of State directs them to do so.]

(9)Any such report shall be written or printed as the Secretary of State may direct and the Secretary of State may, if he thinks fit—

(a)furnish a copy, on request and on payment of the prescribed fee, to the manager, trustee or operator or any participant in a scheme under investigation or any other person whose conduct is referred to in the report; and

(b)cause the report to be published.

[F5(10)A person who is convicted on a prosecution instituted as a result of an investigation under this section may in the same proceedings be ordered to pay the expenses of the investigation to such extent as may be specified in the order.

There shall be treated as expenses of the investigation, in particular, such reasonable sums as the Secretary of State may determine in respect of general staff costs and overheads.]