PART 5Regulation of payment systems

Disclosure of information

I1C1C293Offences relating to disclosure of confidential information

1

A person who discloses information in contravention of section 91 is guilty of an offence.

2

A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) is liable—

a

on summary conviction—

i

in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine, or both;

ii

in Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both;

iii

in Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both;

b

on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or a fine, or both.

3

A person is guilty of an offence if—

a

information has been disclosed to the person in accordance with regulations made under section 92, and

b

the person uses the information in contravention of any provision of those regulations.

4

A person guilty of an offence under subsection (3) is liable on summary conviction—

a

in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks (or 3 months, if the offence was committed before the commencement of section 280(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003) or a fine, or both;

b

in Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or both;

c

in Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or both.

5

In proceedings against a person (“P”) for an offence under this section it is a defence for P to prove—

a

that P did not know and had no reason to suspect that the information was confidential information;

b

that P took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing the offence.

6

In this section “confidential information” has the same meaning as in section 91.