An accounts manager has admitted to lying to investigators to try and conceal the fact that restaurants have not given their staff workplace pensions, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has revealed.

Mansoor Nasir submitted false declarations of workplace pension compliance to TPR to claim that nine restaurants were giving their employees the correct benefits.

TPR found that Nasir had failed to automatically enrol 103 staff into workplace pensions at the restaurants that he was the payroll adviser for and tried to hide it by using the false declarations.

The offences involved workers at Akbar chain of businesses in restaurants in Birmingham, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East 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.”

Nasir pleaded guilty to nine charges of knowingly or recklessly providing TPR with information which was false or misleading, contrary to section 80 of the Pensions Act 2004, when he appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 9 January.

Turner warned: “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.”

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