Section 67 — Exemption from identity verification: national security grounds

(1) The Companies Act 2006 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 1059A (scheme of Part 35), in subsection (4), at the appropriate place insert—section 1110C (identity verification: exemption on national security grounds), .

(3) After section 1110B (inserted by section 65 of this Act) insert—Identity verification: exemption on national security grounds etc1110C (1) The Secretary of State may, by written notice given to a person, provide for one or more of the effects listed in subsection (2) to apply in relation to the person, if satisfied that to do so is necessary— (a) in the interests of national security, or (b) for the purposes of preventing or detecting serious crime. (2) The effects for which the notice may provide are that— (a) where a statement of proposed officers names the person as a director, section 12(2A) does not require a statement under that subsection to be made in relation to the person; (b) section 167G(3)(c) does not apply in relation to a notice of the person having become a director; (c) section 167M(1) does not apply in relation to the person and section 167M(2) does not impose any obligation on a company in relation to the person; (d) section 167N(1) does not apply in relation to the person; (e) section 1067A does not apply in relation to the delivery of documents to the registrar by the person on their own behalf or on behalf of another; (f) section 1098B(2)(c) does not apply in relation to the person. (3) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b)— (a) “crime” means conduct which— (i) constitutes a criminal offence, or (ii) is, or corresponds to, any conduct which, if it all took place in any one part of the United Kingdom, would constitute a criminal offence, and (b) crime is “serious” if— (i) the offence which is or would be constituted by the conduct is an offence for which the maximum sentence (in any part of the United Kingdom) is imprisonment for 3 years or more, or (ii) the conduct involves the use of violence, results in substantial financial gain or is conduct by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose.