7.—(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he does any act mentioned in paragraph (2) with a view to securing for himself or another—N.I.
(a)the evasion of the whole or part of any charge under this Order in respect of the provision of goods or services under this Order;
(b)the reduction, remission or repayment of any such charge, where he or (as the case may be) the other is not entitled to the reduction, remission or repayment;
(c)a payment under this Order (whether to, or for the benefit of, himself or the other) in respect of the cost of obtaining such goods or services, where he or (as the case may be) the other is not entitled to, or to the benefit of, the payment.
(2) The acts referred to in sub-paragraph (1) are—
(a)knowingly making, or causing or knowingly allowing another to make, a false statement or representation; or
(b)in the case of any document or information which he knows to be false in a material particular, producing or providing it or causing or knowingly allowing another to produce or provide it.
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this paragraph is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.
(4) A person, although he is not a barrister or solicitor, may conduct any proceedings under this paragraph before a magistrates' court if he is authorised to do so by the Department.
(5) Proceedings for an offence under this paragraph may be begun within either of the following periods—
(a)the period of three months beginning with the date on which evidence, sufficient in the opinion of the Department to justify a prosecution for the offence, comes to its knowledge;
(b)the period of 12 months beginning with the commission of the offence.
(6) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (5), a certificate purporting to be signed by or on behalf of the Department as to the date on which such evidence as is mentioned in head (a) of that sub-paragraph came to its knowledge is conclusive evidence of that date.
(7) Where, in respect of any charge or payment under this Order—
(a)a person is convicted of an offence under this paragraph; or
(b)a person pays any penalty charge, and any further sum by way of penalty, recoverable from him under paragraph 6,
he shall not, in a case within head (a), be liable to pay any such penalty charge or further sum by way of penalty or, in a case within head (b), be convicted of such an offence.
(8) Sub-paragraph (4) of paragraph 5 applies for the purposes of this paragraph as it applies for the purposes of that paragraph.