46. Offences

Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.

(1)

Any person who –

(a)

contravenes the provisions of this Act or regulations made thereunder;

(b)

resists or obstructs a person authorized under section 41 in the exercise by such person of any powers conferred on him by or under this

Act;

(c)

fails without reasonable cause, to comply with the requirements of a notice issued under this

Act;

(d)

knowingly makes any false statement in any return or information furnished by him under this Act or in any application to enter into a

Petroleum Resources Agreement or Joint

Study Agreement in respect of an exploration block or a development block;

(e)

willfully omits any material fact from any return or information furnished by him under this Act or in any application to enter into a

Petroleum Resources Agreement and Joint

Study Agreement, to Exploration Licence,

Development Licence, or Unit Development

Licence or, in any Development Plan or Unit

Development Plan in respect of an exploration block or a development block;

(f)

willfully damages or sabotages any petroleum operations; or

(g)

fraudulently or negligently deprives the State of its share of petroleum resources or petroleum resources royalty, commits an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction after summary trial before a Magistrate, to a fine of not less than four million rupees and not exceeding one hundred million rupees or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or to both such fine and imprisonment, and if the offence of which he is convicted is continued after the conviction, he commits a further offence and shall be liable in respect hereof to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand rupees for each day on which the offence is so continued.

(2)

Where a person is convicted of an offence under paragraph (g) of subsection (1), the Magistrate may order the offender to pay the State, compensation in such sum as is equivalent to the value of the petroleum resources or the petroleum resources royalty, as the case may be, which the

State has been deprived of, as a result of the act constituting the offence.

Read on from s 47