Criminal Offences under Corporations Act- FYIThere are many...

Criminal Offences under Corporations Act- FYI

There are many offences under the Corporations Act 2001. The following is a list of the most common types of offences:

failure by companies to file the appropriate returns ASIC
failure by directors to disclose any conflict of interest they may have involving transactions of the company
improper use of position by a director or officer of the corporation (for example, the secretary) to gain an advantage for her or himself or to a person other than the corporation
dishonest conduct on the part of a director or officer of the corporation with respect to the discharge of her or his duties
managing a corporation whilst disqualified from doing so under the Corporations Act 2001
misleading or false statements by promoters of companies to potential investors or failure to disclose information in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001 requirements
share hawking by an unlicensed person
failure of a securities or investment adviser to act honestly and in the best interests of the client
market manipulation in relation to securities traded on the Australian Stock Exchange
insider trading, that is dealing in securities whilst in possession of price sensitive information that is not generally available

Most of these breaches attract significant penalties under the Corporations Act 2001 . Whilst there is some overlap between of breaches of the Corporations Act 2001 and the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 , a prosecution will be usually be brought under only one Act, not both.

In addition, certain contraventions, such as the failure by a director of a company to take all reasonable steps to ensure that their company keeps proper accounting records and directors failing to prevent their company trading whilst insolvent, constitute civil contraventions for which a court may impose a pecuniary penalty of up to $200 000, prohibit the person from managing a corporation and order he person to pay compensation.