Wonders will never cease.............

 The Registrar of Companies has now apologised for prior correspondence and confirmed as follows:

Regarding your initial enquiry, we do have powers to investigate any discrepancies or inconsistencies with regards to information delivered to the register and, where appropriate take the necessary action. This is possible following the introduction of more robust querying powers provided by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 of which you are clearly aware of.

The information provided will be reviewed, however, I should advise that we do not provide updates on any investigations considered or ongoing but be assured we will act where appropriate.

Various parts of the ECCTA 2023 came into force on 4 March 2024.

Will Colin Bell (CEO HSBC Bank plc) and Vishal Marria now face a term of 2 years imprisonment for offences under ECCTA and Perjury Act for the knowingly false declarations made on 26 March 2024?

They will probably be banned from acting as Directors.

 NB: False statements

It is an offence to “knowingly or recklessly” deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Registrar a document or statement which is false, deceptive or misleading. The ECCTA replaces “knowingly or recklessly” with “without reasonable excuse”, significantly lowering the threshold for committing the offence.

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As for the new offences of Failing to Prevent Fraud this may be too early for the Registrar of Companies, but we shall see.