Power to require information

(1) The Commission may, for any relevant purpose in connection with electricity in Belize, by notice in writing signed on its behalf– (a) require any person to produce, at a time and place specified in the notice, to the Commission1 or to any person appointed by it for the purpose, any documents which are specified or described in the notice and are in that person’s custody or under his control; or (b) require any person carrying on any business to furnish to the Commission1 such estimates, returns or other information as may be specified or described in the notice, and specify the time, the manner and the form in which any such estimates, returns or information are to be furnished; but no person shall be compelled for such purpose to produce any documents which he could not be compelled to produce in civil proceedings before the court or in complying with any 1See footnote to section 6. 14 requirement for the furnishing of information, or to give any information which he could not be compelled to give in evidence in such (2) A person who refuses or, without reasonable excuse, fails to do anything duly required of him by a notice under sub- section (1) of this section, commits an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both such fine and term of imprisonment. (3) A person who– (a) intentionally alters, suppresses or destroys any document which he has been required by a notice under this section to produce; or (b) in furnishing any estimate, return or other information required of him under any such notice, makes any statement which he knows to be false in a material particular, or recklessly makes any statement which is false in a material particular; commits an offence. (4) A person who commits an offence under sub-section (3) is liable– (a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months, or to both such fine and term of imprisonment; (b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three 15 years, or to both such fine and term of imprisonment. (5) Where a person makes default in complying with a notice under sub-section (1), the court may, on the application of the Commission, make such order as the court thinks fit for requiring the default to be made good; and any such order may provide that all the costs or expenses of and incidental to the application shall be borne by the person in default or by any officer of a company or other association who is responsible for such default. (6) In this section“the court” means the magistrate’s court; “relevant purpose” means any purpose connected with the exercise of the Commission’s functions under this Act.