Article 77
Relations with auditors
1.
Member States shall provide, at least, that any person authorised within the meaning of Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 13 ), performing in an investment firm, in a regulated market, or in an APA or ARM authorised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 which has a derogation in accordance with Article 2(3) of that Regulation, the task described in Article 34 of Directive 2013/34/EU or Article 73 of Directive 2009/65/EC or any other task prescribed by law, shall have a duty to report promptly to the competent authorities any fact or decision concerning that undertaking of which that person has become aware while carrying out that task and which is liable to:
(a)
constitute a material infringement of the laws, regulations or administrative provisions which lay down the conditions governing authorisation or which specifically govern pursuit of the activities of investment firms;
(b)
affect the continuous functioning of the investment firm;
(c)
lead to refusal to certify the accounts or to the expression of reservations.
That person shall also have a duty to report any facts and decisions of which the person becomes aware in the course of carrying out one of the tasks referred to in the first subparagraph in an undertaking having close links with the investment firm within which he is carrying out that task.
2.
The disclosure in good faith to the competent authorities, by persons authorised within the meaning of Directive 2006/43/EC, of any fact or decision referred to in paragraph 1 shall not constitute a breach of any contractual or legal restriction on disclosure of information and shall not involve such persons in liability of any kind.
( 13 ) Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 on statutory audits of annual accounts and consolidated accounts, amending Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC and repealing Council Directive 84/253/EEC (OJ L 157, 9.6.2006, p. 87).