Restrictive Practices Act, 1972

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Offences in relation to bodies corporate and unincorporated bodies.

22.—(1) Where an offence under this Act which is committed by a body corporate or by a person purporting to act on behalf of a body corporate or an unincorporated body of persons is proved to have been so committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, any person being a director, manager, secretary, member of the committee of management or other controlling authority of any such body, or being any other similar officer of any such body, that person shall also be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

(2) (a) A body corporate may be sent forward for trial on indictment for an offence under this Act with or without recognisances.

(b) On arraignment before the Central Criminal Court or the Circuit Court, the body corporate may enter in writing by its representative a plea of guilty or not guilty and if it does not appear by a representative appointed by it for the purpose, or, though it does so appear, fails to enter any plea, the Court shall order a plea of not guilty to be entered and the trial shall proceed as though the body corporate had duly entered that plea.

(c) A statement in writing purporting to be signed by the secretary of the body corporate to the effect that the person named in the statement has been appointed as the representative of the body for the purpose of this subsection shall be admissible without further proof as evidence that that person has been so appointed.

(3) Any summons or other document required to be served for the purpose or in the course of proceedings under this section on a body corporate may be served by leaving it at or sending it by post to the registered office of that body or, if there be no such office in the State, by leaving it at, or sending it by post to, the body at any place in the State at which it conducts its business.