Form 33 – Books of Accounts are maintained

Section 22 of Companies Act 2017

Books of account, to be kept by company.-

(1) Every company shall prepare and keep at its registered office books of account and other relevant books and papers and financial statements for every financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the company, including that of its branch office or offices, if any: Provided that in the case of a company engaged in production, processing, manufacturing or mining activities, such particulars relating to utilisation of material or labour or the other inputs or items of cost as may be specified, shall also be maintained: Provided further that all or any of the books of account aforesaid and other relevant papers may be kept at such other place in Pakistan as the board may decide and where such a decision is taken, the company shall, within seven days thereof, file with the registrar a notice in writing giving the full address of that other place.

(2) Where a company has a branch office in Pakistan or outside Pakistan, it shall be deemed to have complied with the provisions of sub-section (1), if proper books of account relating to the transactions effected at the branch office are kept at that office and proper summarized returns are sent periodically by the branch office to the company at its registered office or the other place referred to in sub-section (1).

(3) The books of account and other books and papers maintained by the company within Pakistan shall be open for inspection at the registered office of the company or at such other place in Pakistan by any director during business hours, and in the case of financial information, if any, maintained outside the country, copies of such financial information shall be maintained and produced for inspection by any director.

(4) Where an inspection is made under sub-section (3), the officers and other employees of the company shall give to the director making such inspection all assistance in connection with the inspection which the company is reasonably expected to give.

(5) The books of account of every company relating to a period of not less than ten financial years immediately preceding a financial year, or where the company had been in existence for a period less than ten years, in respect of all the preceding years together with the vouchers relevant to any entry in such books of account shall be kept in good order.  

(6) If a company fails to comply with any of the requirements of this section, every director, including chief executive and chief financial officer, of the company who has by his act or omission been the cause of such default shall—

(a) in respect of a listed company, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two year and with fine which shall not be less than five hundred thousand rupees nor more than five million rupees, and with a further fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees for every day after the first during which the default continues; and

(b) in respect of any other company, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and with fine which may extend to one hundred thousand rupees.

(7) The provisions of this section except those of sub-section (5), shall apply mutatis mutandis to the books of account which a liquidator is required to maintain and keep

Section 449 of Companies Act 2017

Notice of appointment of receiver.—The provisions of section 113 and 114 shall mutatis mutandis apply to the case of all
foreign companies having an established place of business in Pakistan and the provisions of section 220 shall apply to such companies to the extent of requiring them to keep at their principal place of business in Pakistan the books of account required by that section with respect to money received and expended, sales and purchases made, and assets and liabilities in relation to its business in Pakistan:Provided that references in the said section to the registered office of the company shall be deemed to be reference to the principal place of business in Pakistan of the company.