A Richmond-based accountant is the first third party to be prosecuted by The Pensions Regulator for falsely claiming that staff at a London cafe had been auto enrolled.
The regulator has charged Hashmukh Shah, who is accused of falsely claiming that staff at London-based Gran Caffe Londra had been enrolled into a workplace pension scheme, in order to prevent the regulator from inspecting the workplace.
It is the first time that TPR is holding a third party, such as an accountant, rather than just the employer directly responsible for failing to comply with their automatic enrolment duties.
Shah stands accused of having deliberately misled the regulator about his client’s compliance with auto enrolment duties, in violation of section 80 of the Pensions Act 2004. He is due to face Magistrates Court on 14 August.
