Refusal to open an account or register a verifier
Article 19
1. The national administrator shall verify whether the information and documents provided for account opening or registration are complete, up-to-date, accurate and true. In the event of justified doubts, the national administrator may request assistance by another national administrator in carrying out the verification referred to in the first subparagraph. The administrator that has received such request may refuse it. The prospective account holder or verifier may explicitly ask the national administrator to request such assistance. The national administrator shall inform the prospective account holder or verifier of such assistance request. 2. A national administrator may refuse to open an account or register a verifier: (a) if the information and documents provided are incomplete, out-of-date or otherwise inaccurate or false; (b) if a law enforcement authority provides information or if information is available by other means to a national administrator that the prospective account holder, or, if it is a legal person, any of the directors of the prospective account holder, is under investigation or has been convicted in the preceding five years for fraud involving allowances, money laundering, terrorist financing or other serious crimes for which the account may be an instrument; (c) if the national administrator has reasonable grounds to believe that the accounts may be used for fraud involving allowances, money laundering, terrorist financing or other serious crimes; (d) for reasons set out in national law. 3. Where the national administrator refuses to open an operator holding account or aircraft operator holding account in accordance with paragraph 2, the account may be opened upon instruction from the competent authority. All access to the account shall be suspended in accordance with Article 30(4) until the reasons for refusal listed in paragraph 2 are no longer present. 4. If the national administrator refuses to open an account, the person requesting the account opening may object to the competent authority or the relevant authority under national law, who shall either instruct the national administrator to open the account or uphold the refusal in a reasoned decision, subject to requirements of national law that pursue a legitimate objective compatible with this Regulation and are proportionate.