PMLA, 2002 (Part-3)
CHAPTER-IV
Obligations of Banking Companies, Financial Institutions and Intermediaries
Total Section in Chapter- IV – Five
Section 12
Reporting entity to maintain records
(l) Every reporting entity shall-
(a) maintain a record of all transactions, including information relating to transactions covered under clause (b), in such manner as to enable it to reconstruct individual transactions;
(b) furnish to the Director within such time as may be prescribed, information relating to such transactions, whether attempted or executed, the nature and value of which may be prescribed;
(c) verify the identity of its clients in such manner and subject to such conditions, as may be prescribed;
(d) identify the beneficial owner, if any, of such of its clients, as may be prescribed;
(e) maintain record of documents evidencing identity of its clients and beneficial owners as well as account files and business correspondence relating to its clients.
(2) Every information maintained, furnished or verified, save as otherwise provided under any law for the time being in force, shall be kept confidential.
(3) The records referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1) shall be maintained for a period of five years from the date of transaction between a client and the reporting entity.
(4) The records referred to in clause (e) of sub-section (1) shall be maintained for a period of five years after the business relationship between a client and the reporting entity has ended or the account has been closed, whichever is later.
(5) The Central Government may, by notification, exempt any reporting entity or class of reporting entities from any obligation under this Chapter.
Section 12A
Access to Information
(1) The Director may demand or call from any of the reporting entity any of the records and any additional information as he considers necessary for the purposes of this Act.
(2) Every reporting entity shall furnish to the Director such information as may be required by him under sub-section (1) within such time and in such manner as he may specify.
(3) Save as otherwise provided under any law for the time being in force, every information sought by the Director under sub-section (1), shall be kept confidential.
Section 13
Power of Directors to imposed Penalty
The directors may-
(a) Own Motion, or
(b) on application made by any authority, officer, or Employee, make such inquiry or cause such inquiry to be made, as he thinks fit to be necessary, with regard to the obligations of the reporting entity, under this Chapter (lA) If at any stage of inquiry or any other proceedings before him, the Director having regard to the nature and complexity of the case, is of the opinion that it is necessary to do so, he may direct the concerned reporting entity to get its records, as may be specified, audited by an accountant from amongst a panel of accountants, maintained by the Central Government for this purpose.
(lB) The expenses of, and incidental to, any audit under sub-section (lA) shall be borne by the Central Government.
(2) If the Director, in the course of any inquiry, finds that a reporting entity or its designated director on the Board or any of its employees has failed to comply with the obligations under this Chapter, then, without prejudice to any other action that may be taken under any other provisions of this Act, he may-
(a) issue a warning in writing; or
(b) direct such reporting entity or its designated director on the Board or any of its employees, to comply with specific instructions; or
(c) direct such reporting entity or its designated director on the Board or any of its employees, to send reports at such interval as may be prescribed on the measures it is taking; or
(d) by an order, impose a monetary penalty on such reporting entity or its designated director on the Board or any of its employees, which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees but may extend to one lakh rupees for each failure.
(3) The Director shall forward a copy of the order passed under sub- section (2) to-
(a) every banking company,
(b) financial institution or
(c) intermediary or
(d) person who is a party to the proceedings under that sub-section.
Section 14
Power of Directors to imposed Penalty
No civil or criminal proceedings against reporting entity, its directors and employees in certain cases.
Save as otherwise provided in section 13, the reporting entity, its directors and employees shall not be liable to any civil or criminal proceedings against them for furnishing information under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 12.
Section 15
Procedure and manner of furnishing information by reporting entities
The Central Government may, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, prescribe the procedure and the manner of maintaining and furnishing information by a reporting entity under sub-section (1) of section 12 for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this Act.
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