Civil penalty
232.—(1)  Whenever it appears to the Authority that any person has contravened any provision in this Part, the Authority may, with the consent of the Public Prosecutor, bring an action in a court against the person to seek an order for a civil penalty in respect of that contravention.
(2)  If the court is satisfied on a balance of probabilities that the person has contravened a provision in this Part, the court may make an order against the person for the payment of a civil penalty of a sum not exceeding the greater of the following:
(a)3 times —
(i)the amount of the profit that the person gained as a result of the contravention; or
(ii)the amount of the loss that the person avoided as a result of the contravention;
(b)$2 million.
[4/2017]
(3)  The civil penalty ordered under subsection (2) must not be less than —
(a)in the case where the person is a corporation, $100,000; and
(b)in any other case, $50,000.
[4/2017]
(4)  Despite subsections (2) and (3), the court may make an order against a person against whom an action has been brought under this section if the Authority, with the consent of the Public Prosecutor, has agreed to allow the person to consent to the order with or without admission of a contravention of a provision in this Part and the order may be made on such terms as may be agreed between the Authority and the defendant.
(5)  Nothing in this section prevents the Authority from entering into an agreement with any person to pay, with or without admission of liability, a civil penalty within the limits referred to in subsection (2) or (3) for a contravention of any provision in this Part.
(6)  A civil penalty imposed under this section must be paid into the Consolidated Fund and is to be treated as a judgment debt due to the Government for the purposes of section 10 of the Government Proceedings Act 1956.
[34/2012; 4/2017]
(7)  If the person fails to pay the civil penalty imposed on the person within the time specified in the court order referred to in subsection (4) or specified under the agreement referred to in subsection (5), the Authority may recover the civil penalty on behalf of the Government as though the civil penalty were a judgment debt due to the Authority.
[34/2012]
(8)  Any defence that is available to a person who is prosecuted for a contravention of any provision in this Part, is also available to a defendant to an action under this section in respect of that contravention.