UBS與渣打銀行遭香港證監(jiān)會(huì)起訴

Hong Kong’s securities regulator has filed a lawsuit against UBS, Standard Chartered and KPMG over market misconduct relating to the initial public offering of a Chinese company that was later liquidated.

針對(duì)與一家中資企業(yè)首次公開(kāi)招股(IPO)有關(guān)的市場(chǎng)不當(dāng)行為，香港證券監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)已向瑞銀(UBS)、渣打銀行(Standard Chartered)和畢馬威(KPMG)發(fā)起法律訴訟。這家中資企業(yè)后來(lái)遭到了清盤。

The lawsuit comes as the Securities and Futures Commission steps up its enforcement efforts in the city, where complaints about “problematic” companies have risen sharply in recent years.

提出這一法律訴訟之際，香港證券及期貨事務(wù)監(jiān)察委員會(huì)(Securities and Futures Commission，簡(jiǎn)稱證監(jiān)會(huì))正加大在香港的執(zhí)法力度。近年來(lái)，香港對(duì)“問(wèn)題”企業(yè)的投訴已急劇增多。

UBS and Standard Chartered were co-sponsors for the IPO of China Forestry Holdings in 2009 and had previously warned over upcoming regulatory actions. KPMG was the auditor for the IPO. All three groups declined to comment on the matter.

瑞銀和渣打是2009年中國(guó)森林控股有限公司(China Forestry Holdings) IPO交易的聯(lián)合擔(dān)保人。此前，兩家銀行曾就即將遭遇的監(jiān)管舉措提出警告。畢馬威則是這次IPO交易的審計(jì)方。三家機(jī)構(gòu)都拒絕置評(píng)此事。

UBS said in October that it could face a temporary ban in Hong Kong from providing corporate finance services because of an investigation into its role as an IPO sponsor in the country. Just days later, StanChart warned that an SFC action against it could have “financial consequences”.

今年10月，瑞銀曾表示，由于作為中國(guó)一宗IPO交易擔(dān)保人的角色受到調(diào)查，該行在香港可能會(huì)面臨禁止提供企業(yè)融資服務(wù)的暫時(shí)禁令。而就在幾天之后，渣打也警告稱，香港證監(jiān)會(huì)針對(duì)該行的舉措可能會(huì)產(chǎn)生“財(cái)務(wù)上的影響”。

The SFC lawsuit concerned “market misconduct” connected to the prospectus for China Forestry’s IPO and to its annual and interim results announcements in 2009 and 2010, according to a writ of summons filed in the Hong Kong High Court.

根據(jù)香港高等法院(Hong Kong High Court)發(fā)出的傳票，香港證監(jiān)會(huì)的訴訟關(guān)心的“市場(chǎng)不當(dāng)行為”，與中國(guó)森林IPO招股說(shuō)明書(shū)及該公司2009年和2010年年度財(cái)報(bào)和中期財(cái)報(bào)有關(guān)。

China Forestry raised $216m from its IPO, according to Dealogic. But its listing was suspended in 2011 and KPMG later resigned after discovering irregularities in the group’s accounting records. China Forestry is at present being liquidated.

根據(jù)Dealogic的說(shuō)法，中國(guó)森林通過(guò)IPO交易籌集了2.16億美元。然而，2011年該集團(tuán)被停牌。之后，畢馬威因發(fā)現(xiàn)該集團(tuán)賬目中的不合規(guī)而退出。目前，中國(guó)森林正在辦理清盤。

Since 2013 banks sponsoring IPOs in Hong Kong have been legally liable for claims made in prospectuses and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has previously warned investment bankers that they must improve due diligence on companies when preparing for a float.

自2013年起，香港IPO交易的擔(dān)保人要為招股說(shuō)明書(shū)中的聲明承擔(dān)法律責(zé)任。此前，香港證監(jiān)會(huì)曾警告投行人士，在為企業(yè)籌備上市時(shí)必須加強(qiáng)盡職調(diào)查。

The lawsuit was also filed against China Forestry, its chairman Li Kwok Cheung and its chief executive Li Han Chun.

這一訴訟的被告方還包括中國(guó)森林、中國(guó)森林董事長(zhǎng)李國(guó)昌(Li Kwok Cheung)及首席執(zhí)行官李寒春。

The Hong Kong Exchange has been the world’s leading listings venue for the past two years, raising $25bn in 2016, according to Dealogic.

根據(jù)Dealogic的數(shù)據(jù)，過(guò)去兩年香港的交易所一直是全球第一的上市場(chǎng)所，2016年籌集了250億美元。

However, late last year the SFC warned it was dealing with a sharp rise in complaints about what it called “problematic” companies. Probes by the regulator into governance, disclosure, insider dealing and market manipulation issues have doubled during the past five years. They in turn have produced a 50 per cent increase in the launching of formal proceedings.

然而，去年底香港證監(jiān)會(huì)曾警告稱，該機(jī)構(gòu)正在處理對(duì)其所謂“問(wèn)題”公司的投訴急劇增加的問(wèn)題。過(guò)去五年，這家監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)對(duì)公司治理、信息披露、內(nèi)幕交易和市場(chǎng)操縱問(wèn)題的調(diào)查活動(dòng)已增加了一倍。這些調(diào)查活動(dòng)又導(dǎo)致發(fā)起的正式訴訟增加了50%。

The Hong Kong Exchange and SFC have come under fire following cases of suspected manipulation, unexplained volatility and a lack of transparency on ultimate ownership of some companies, many of which are based in mainland China.

在多起涉嫌操縱市場(chǎng)、無(wú)法解釋的波動(dòng)及缺乏最終所有權(quán)透明度的案子爆出之后，香港交易所和證監(jiān)會(huì)受到了強(qiáng)烈抨擊。在這些涉案企業(yè)中，許多企業(yè)的總部位于中國(guó)內(nèi)地。

Cases such as Hanergy Thin Film, whose market capitalisation soared to $40bn before nearly halving in half an hour with no explanation, have shaken investor confidence in some of the city’s stocks.

類似漢能薄膜(Hanergy Thin Film)這樣的案子，已動(dòng)搖了投資者對(duì)香港部分股票的信心。漢能薄膜的市值曾激增至400億美元，之后又無(wú)法解釋地在半小時(shí)內(nèi)縮水近一半。