I.-The audit provided for in Article L. 236-42 shall be carried out within three months of receipt of the copy of the minutes of the meeting referred to in Article L. 236-9 or, in the absence of a meeting, of the date on which the competent body decided on the merger.
The Registrar may extend the period provided for in the first paragraph for a period not exceeding three months.
Where the Registrar deems it necessary to carry out further investigations or obtain additional information in order to carry out his supervisory duties, he may extend the period provided for in the first paragraph for a period not exceeding three months. In this case, the Registrar shall inform the company, before expiry of the period referred to in the first paragraph, of the duration of and reasons for the extension.
Where, due to the complexity of the transaction, the audit cannot be completed within the extended period provided for in the second paragraph, the Registrar may again extend the period by one month. In this case, the Registrar shall inform the company, before the expiry of the period provided for in the second paragraph, of the extension and shall specify, where applicable, the enquiries and requests for information still pending, the additional steps envisaged and the reasons why these are necessary in order for the certificate to be issued or refused.
The Registrar may renew the extension provided for in the third paragraph for the same period and under the same conditions, insofar as this new extension is necessary for the performance of his duties.
II.
II.-In order to carry out the regularisation provided for in the last paragraph of III of Article L. 236-42, the Registrar shall set the company a reasonable deadline depending on the situation, which may not be later than the closing date of the financial year during which the matter was referred to him.