Section 18: Offences.

(1) If any person for the purpose of procuring the registration of any name, qualification or other matter-
(a) makes a statement which he believes to be false in a material particular; or
(b) recklessly makes a statement which is false in a material particular,
he shall be guilty of an offence.
(2) If, on or after the relevant date, any person not being a member of the Institute practises as an accountant for or in expectation of reward, or takes or uses any name, title, addition or description implying that he is in practice as an accountant, he shall be guilty of an offence:
Provided that, in the case of a person falling within section 13 of this Act-
(a) this subsection shall not apply in respect of anything done by him during the period of three months mentioned in that section; and
(b) if within that period he duly applies for membership of the Institute, then, unless within that period he is notified that his application has not been approved, this subsection shall not apply in respect of anything done by him between the end of that period and the date on which he is enrolled or registered or is notified as aforesaid.
(3) If, on or after the relevant date, a registered accountant holds himself out as a chartered accountant or takes or uses any name, title, addition or description implying that he is a chartered accountant, he shall be guilty of an offence.
(4) If the registrar or any other person employed by or on behalf of the Institute wilfully makes any falsification in any matter relating to the register, he shall be guilty of an offence.
(5) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable-
(a) on summary conviction to a fine of an amount not exceeding one hundred naira;
(b) on conviction on indictment to a fine of an amount not exceeding one thousand naira or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.
(6) Where an offence under this section which has been committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or any person purporting to act in any such capacity, he, as well as the body corporate, shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(7) In this section "the relevant date" means the third anniversary of the appointed day or such earlier date as may be prescribed for the purposes of this section by order of the Minister published in the Federal Gazette; and for the purposes of this section different dates may be prescribed for different territories within the meaning of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
[Cap. C23.)