143. Offences by body corporate

Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a body corporate, any person who at the time of the commission of the offence was a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or who was purporting to act in any such capacity shall, as well as the body corporate, be deemed to have committed that offence unless he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge, consent or connivance and that he took reasonable precautions and had exercised due diligence to prevent the commission of the offence.