Punishment for concealment of property

Section 68 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 deals with punishment for concealment of property. Where any officer of the corporate debtor has,— (i) within the twelve months immediately preceding the insolvency commencement date,— (a) wilfully concealed any property or part of such property of the corporate debtor or concealed any debt due to, or from, the corporate debtor, of the value of ten The Act was enacted on 28 May 2016.

Where any officer of the corporate debtor has,—

(i) within the twelve months immediately preceding the insolvency commencement date,—

(a) wilfully concealed any property or part of such property of the corporate debtor or concealed any debt due to, or from, the corporate debtor, of the value of ten thousand rupees or more; or

(b) fraudulently removed any part of the property of the corporate debtor of the value of ten thousand rupees or more; or

(c) wilfully concealed, destroyed, mutilated or falsified any book or paper affecting or relating to the property of the corporate debtor or its affairs, or

(d) wilfully made any false entry in any book or paper affecting or relating to the property of the corporate debtor or its affairs; or

(e) fraudulently parted with, altered or made any omission in any document affecting or relating to the property of the corporate debtor or its affairs; or

(f) wilfully created any security interest over, transferred or disposed of any property of the corporate debtor which has been obtained on credit and has not been paid for unless such creation, transfer or disposal was in the ordinary course of the business of the corporate debtor; or

(g) wilfully concealed the knowledge of the doing by others of any of the acts mentioned in clauses (c), (d) or clause (e); or

(ii) at any time after the insolvency commencement date, committed any of the acts mentioned in sub-clause (a) to (f) of clause (i) or has the knowledge of the doing by others of any of the things mentioned in sub-clauses (c) to (e) of clause (i); or

(iii) at any time after the insolvency commencement date, taken in pawn or pledge, or otherwise received the property knowing it to be so secured, transferred or disposed,

such officer shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to five years, or with fine, which shall not be less than one lakh rupees, but may extend to one crore rupees, or with both:

Provided that nothing in this section shall render a person liable to any punishment under this section if he proves that he had no intent to defraud or to conceal the state of affairs of the corporate debtor.

Section 68, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Act 31 of 2016).