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1. Where, in carrying out its duties under this Regulation, the Authority finds that there are serious indications of the possible existence of facts liable to constitute one or more of the breaches listed in Annex II, the Authority shall appoint an independent investigatory team within the Authority to investigate the matter. The investigatory team shall not be involved or have been involved in the direct supervision of the selected obliged entity concerned and shall perform its functions independently from the Executive Board. The Authority shall develop internal procedures to determine the rules governing the selection of the members of the independent investigatory team, in particular with regard to the knowledge, background, expertise and experience of those members.

2. The investigatory team shall investigate the alleged breaches, taking into account any comments submitted by the persons subject to investigation, and shall submit a complete file with its findings to the Executive Board. In order to carry out its tasks, the investigatory team may require information in accordance with Article 17 and conduct investigations and on-site inspections in accordance with Articles 18 and 19. Where carrying out its tasks, the investigatory team shall have access to all documents and information gathered by the joint supervisory team in its supervisory activities.

3. Upon completion of its investigation and before submitting the file with its findings to the Executive Board, the investigatory team shall give the persons subject to investigation the opportunity to be heard on the matters being investigated. The investigatory team shall base its findings only on facts on which the persons subject to investigation have had the opportunity to comment. The rights of defence of the persons concerned shall be fully respected during investigations under this Article.

4. When submitting the file with its findings to the Executive Board, the investigatory team shall notify that fact to the persons subject to investigation. The persons subject to investigation shall be entitled to have access to the file, subject to the legitimate interest of other persons in the protection of their business secrets. The right of access to the file shall not extend to confidential information affecting third parties.

5. On the basis of the file containing the investigatory team’s findings and, when requested by the persons concerned, after having heard the persons subject to investigation in accordance with Article 24(1), the Executive Board shall decide if one or more of the breaches listed in Annex II have been committed by the persons who are subject to investigation and, in such case, shall impose a pecuniary sanction in accordance with Article 22 and apply an administrative measure in accordance with Article 21 in addition to, or instead of, imposing a pecuniary sanction.

6. The investigatory team shall not participate in the deliberations of the Executive Board or in any other way intervene in the decision-making process of the Executive Board.

7. The Commission shall adopt further rules of procedure for the exercise of the power to impose pecuniary sanctions or periodic penalty payments, including provisions on rights of defence, temporal provisions, and the collection of pecuniary sanctions or periodic penalty payments, and shall adopt detailed rules on the limitation periods for the imposition and enforcement of penalties. The rules referred to in the first subparagraph shall be adopted by means of delegated acts supplementing this Regulation, in accordance with Article 100. The Commission shall adopt the delegated acts referred to in the second subparagraph by 1 January 2027.

8. The Authority shall refer matters for criminal prosecution to the relevant national authorities where, in carrying out its duties under this Regulation, it finds that there are serious indications of the possible existence of facts liable to constitute criminal offences. In addition, the Authority shall refrain from imposing pecuniary sanctions or periodic penalty payments where a prior acquittal or conviction arising from identical facts, or from facts which are substantially the same, has acquired the force of res judicata as the result of criminal proceedings under national law.