UK. The Pensions Regulator’s new criminal powers – how worried should companies and pension scheme trustees be?
The Pension Schemes Act 2021 (Act), which came into force on 11 February 2021, introduced new criminal offences to bolster the Pensions Regulator's moral hazard regime. Most notably, it will now be a criminal offence to engage in activity that has a materially detrimental impact on scheme benefits. The offence is punishable by an unlimited fine and up to seven years in jail. This offence operates alongside a civil penalty of up to £1 million. In this article, we take...