Bradford-based accounts manager Mansoor Nasir has admitted to lying to The Pensions Regulator (TPR) about auto-enrolling 103 members of staff in a pension scheme.
Appearing at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 9 January, Nasir pleaded guilty to nine charges of knowingly or recklessly providing TPR with information which was false or misleading when submitted auto-enrolment (AE) declarations of compliance.
As payroll adviser, Nasir claimed nine branches of the Akbar chain of restaurants were giving their employees the correct benefits, but 103 members of staff had not been enrolled. He also lied to TPR investigators in a bid to conceal this.
The offences involved workers at Akbar restaurants in Birmingham, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East of England between September 2014 and May 2017.
TPR head of compliance and enforcement Joe Turner said: “Part of Nasir’s job was to put the restaurant staff into workplace pensions. He failed to do so and then tried to cover it up by lying to us.
“Giving us false or misleading information is a serious offence that can earn you a fine, a prison sentence and a criminal record.
“All employers have workplace pension duties. Don’t take a risk that could affect you for the rest of your life.”
A similar story played out last August, when accountant Hashmukh Shah pleaded guilty to deliberately providing false information to TPR when stating a pension scheme had been set up for staff of a London-based restaurant.
Nasir will be sentenced at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 6 February and faces an unlimited fine.