Section 265. Registration of firms of auditors

(1) A new firm of auditors shall notify the Registrar the following particulars within thirty days from the date of commencement of business:

(a) the name of the firm;

(b) the firm number;

(c) the address of the principal place of business and the address of each other’s place of business, if any;

(d) the date of commencement of business;

(e) the full names, addresses, approval numbers and other particulars of all the partners; and

(f) such other particulars as the Registrar thinks appropriate.

(2) The notification in subsection (1) shall be in the form as determined by the Registrar.

(3) The Registrar shall cause a register of firms of auditors to be kept and shall cause to be entered in the register in relation to a firm of auditors the particulars referred to in subsection (1).

(4) Where a firm of auditors is reconstituted by reason of retirement, withdrawal or death of a partner or by reason of the admission of a new partner or where there is a change in any particulars relating to the firm or its partners, a notification shall be lodged with the Registrar indicating the relevant alteration and the date of the alteration within thirty days of such alteration.

(5) A report or notice that purports to be made or given by a firm appointed as an auditor of a company shall not be taken to be duly made or given unless—

(a) it is signed in the name of the firm and in his own name by a partner of the firm who is an approved company auditor; and

(b) the firm number and the approval number of the partner is legibly written or printed either under or beside the signature of the firm and the partner respectively.

(6) For the purposes of this section—

(a) “approval number”, in relation to an auditor, is the number allocated to that person on the approval granted by the Minister charged with responsibility for finance;

(b) “firm number”, in relation to a firm of auditors, is the number allocated by the Registrar to a firm of auditors in the notification under subsection (1); and

(c) “partner”, in relation to a firm of auditors, includes a sole proprietor of a firm.