An accounts manager who attempted to conceal the fact that restaurants had not given their staff workplace pensions has been ordered to pay £5,000.
Bradford-based Mansoor Nasir submitted false declarations of workplace pension compliance to The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to claim that nine restaurants were giving their employees the correct benefits.
Nasir had failed to automatically enrol 103 staff into workplace pensions at the restaurants for which he was the payroll adviser in Birmingham, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East. He tried to cover this up using false declarations between September 2014 and May 2017.
Nasir pleaded guilty to nine charges of knowingly or recklessly providing TPR with information which was false or misleading, contrary to section 80 of the Pensions Act 2004, when he appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 9 January.
Knowingly or recklessly providing false information to TPR is an offence under section 80 of the Pensions Act 2004. It carries a maximum sentence in a magistrates’ court of an unlimited fine.
Sentencing Nasir at the same court on 6 February, District Judge Teresa Szagun told the qualified accountant that his actions had been “deliberate”.
She added: “This legislation is to plan for the financial security of a growing and ageing population.
“The mischief has an impact not only for those individuals involved but for society as a whole.”
Judge Szagun ordered Nasir, who is based at Beaumont Management Services in Duncombe Road, Bradford, to pay a £3,320 fine, £1,560 costs and a £120 victim surcharge.
TPR director of automatic enrolment Darren Ryder says:“Nasir claimed he didn’t know what he needed to do to put the staff into their workplace pensions but instead of asking us for help he put his head in the sand.
“There is guidance on our website and we also have people on hand to offer employers and advisers help on how to comply with their automatic enrolment duties.
“Nasir’s lies to us have now left him with an entirely avoidable bill and a criminal record.”
