49.—(1) The following bodies and persons must, if they know or suspect or have reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that a person is or has engaged in money laundering or terrorist financing, as soon as reasonably practicable inform the Serious Organised Crime Agency—
(a)the Auditor General for Scotland;
(b)the Auditor General for Wales;
(c)the Authority;
(d)the Bank of England;
(e)the Comptroller and Auditor General;
(f)the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland;
(g)the Gambling Commission;
(h)the OFT;
(i)the Official Solicitor to the Supreme Court;
(j)the Pensions Regulator;
(k)the Public Trustee;
(l)the Secretary of State, in the exercise of his functions under enactments relating to companies and insolvency;
(m)the Treasury, in the exercise of their functions under the 2000 Act;
(n)the Treasury Solicitor;
(o)a designated professional body for the purposes of Part 20 of the 2000 Act (provision of financial services by members of the professions);
(p)a person or inspector appointed under section 65 (investigations on behalf of Authority) or 66 (inspections and special meetings) of the Friendly Societies Act 1992(1);
(q)an inspector appointed under section 49 of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965(2) (appointment of inspectors) or section 18 of the Credit Unions Act 1979(3) (power to appoint inspector);
(r)an inspector appointed under section 431 (investigation of a company on its own application), 432 (other company investigations), 442 (power to investigate company ownership) or 446 (investigation of share dealing) of the Companies Act 1985(4) or under Article 424, 425, 435 or 439 of the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986(5);
(s)a person or inspector appointed under section 55 (investigations on behalf of Authority) or 56 (inspections and special meetings) of the Building Societies Act 1986(6);
(t)a person appointed under section 167 (appointment of persons to carry out investigations), 168(3) or (5) (appointment of persons to carry out investigations in particular cases), 169(1)(b) (investigations to support overseas regulator) or 284 (power to investigate affairs of a scheme) of the 2000 Act, or under regulations made under section 262(2)(k) (open-ended investment companies) of that Act, to conduct an investigation; and
(u)a person authorised to require the production of documents under section 447 of the Companies Act 1985 (Secretary of State’s power to require production of documents), Article 440 of the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 or section 84 of the Companies Act 1989(7) (exercise of powers by officer).
(2) A disclosure made under paragraph (1) is not to be taken to breach any restriction on the disclosure of information however imposed.