Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Compellability, Privileges and Immunities of Witnesses) Act, 1997

Provisions in relation to offences.

17.—(1) A person guilty of an offence under section 3 (8) shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.

(2) Where an offence under this Act is committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been so committed with the consent, connivance or approval of, or to have been attributable to any wilful neglect on the part of, any person, being a director, manager, secretary or any other officer of the body corporate or a person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, that person, as well as the body corporate, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished as if he or she were guilty of the first-mentioned offence.

(3) A person who has been punished by the High Court for failure or refusal to comply with an order of that Court under subsection (7) of section 3 relating to a particular direction shall not be tried for an offence under subsection (10) of that section in relation to that direction and a person who has been tried for an offence under the said subsection (10) in relation to a particular direction shall not be proceeded against for failure or refusal to comply with an order of the High Court under the said subsection (7) relating to that direction.