According
to the referral from the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and the SEC’s further
investigation, (1) Polyplex Corporation Limited (PCL), which directly holds
16.5 percent of PTL shares and another 34.5 percent indirectly through Polyplex
(Asia) Pte. Ltd. (PAPL), (2) Mr. Pranay Kothari, PCL Representative, (3) Mr.
Manish Gupta, PCL Chief Financial Officer, (4) PAPL, and (5) Mr. Amit Prakash,
Managing Director of PTL and PAPL Director, acquired the information related to
PTL’s operating results in the financial statements of specific businesses and
the consolidated financial statements for the fourth quarter of 2016 (during 1
January – 31 March 2016)* through the monthly statements of January and
February 2016**. The financial statements of specific businesses showed
earnings of 98.26 million baht, compared with the loss of 107.44 million baht
in the preceding quarter, while the consolidated financial statements showed
the total earnings of 464.39 million baht, the highest record since 2013, as
opposed to the total loss of 111.32 million baht in the preceding quarter.
Based on such non-public information, the persons above purchased 7,940,100 PTL
shares from the trading account of PAPL during 1 April 2016 - 4 May 2016. In so
doing, (6) Mrs. Supritha Pai Kasturi, Senior Manager of PTL Finance and
Accounting Department, helped to execute the PTL purchase orders before the
inside information was disclosed to the public through the SET Information
Transmission System on 30 May 2016.
The SEC investigation also revealed that (7) Mr. Anurag Baheti, Senior Manager
of PTL Finance and Accounting Department, who had acquired the company’s
information on the positive operating results in the financial statements of
specific businesses for the fourth quarter of 2016 through the monthly
statements for January and February 2016, purchased PTL shares through his own
trading account on 11 and 17 March 2016 at the total amount of 200,000 shares
and colluded with (8) Mr. Rahul Jain, who was not an insider, to purchase 258,200
PTL shares through Rahul’s securities trading account on 17 March 2016.
Moreover, Anurag used the information regarding PTL’s operating results in the consolidated
financial statements for the fourth quarter of 2016 to purchase PTL shares
through Rahul’s trading account on 23, 24, 26 and 27 May 2016 at the total
amount of 465,000 shares.
The use of material facts that influenced changes to securities price to
purchase PTL shares by (1) PCL, (2) Pranay, (3) Manish, (4) PAPL, (5) Amit and
(7) Anurag caused the said persons to be deemed the principal to the commission
of offense under Section 241 and liable to the penalties under Section 296 of
the Securities and Exchange Act B.E. 2535 (1992), which was effective at the
time of the offenses. Currently, the said offenses are under Section 242 and
subject to the penalties under Section 296 and Section 296/2 of the Securities
and Exchange Act (No. 5) B.E. 2559 (2016). Supritha and Rahul were deemed
assistant and supporter to the commission of the offenses and subject to the
penalties in conjunction with Section 86 of the Penal Code.
The Civil Sanction Committee has resolved to instruct the SEC to impose civil
sanction on the eight offenders. In this regard, (1) PCL, (2) Pranay, (3)
Manish and (5) Amit were ordered to pay a separate civil penalty of 500,000
baht while (4) PAPL was ordered to pay a civil penalty and return the benefits
earned from the commission of the offenses at the total amount of 50,603,066.50
baht, (6) Supritha was ordered to pay a civil penalty of 333,333.33 baht, (7)
Anurag was ordered to pay a civil penalty and return the benefits earned from
the commission of the offenses at the total amount of 2,982,300.50 baht, and
(8) Rahul was ordered to pay a civil penalty of 775,153.67 baht. If any of the
offenders refuses to comply with the civil sanction imposed by the Civil
Sanction Committee, the SEC shall submit a letter requesting the public
attorney to file the case with the Civil Court for payment of the highest civil
penalty specified by law and return of the benefits received from the
commission of the offenses.
Due to the Civil Sanction Committee’s imposition of civil sanction, the six
ordinary persons above, namely (2) Pranay, (3) Manish, (5) Amit, (6) Supritha,
(7) Anurag and (8) Rahul were deemed to possess untrustworthy characteristics
and prohibited from holding the positions of director or executive of any
securities issuing company and listed company pursuant to the Notification
of the Securities and Exchange Commission. *** In this
regard, further action shall be taken in due course. In the case of (2) Pranay,
(3) Manish, (5) Amit, (6) Supritha, and (7) Anurag, who are currently directors
and executives, they must vacate the positions as from the date specified in the
SEC letter to be issued to notify their possession of the untrustworthy
characteristics.
_______________________
* PTL financial year 2016 begins on 1
April 2015.
** The financial statements of PTL and its
subsidiaries manufacturing products, material to PTL’s financial operating
results.
*** The untrustworthy characteristics
leading to removal of persons from director/executive positions at securities
issuing companies and listed companies are prescribed under Clause 3(2), Clause
5(2) and Clause 6(2) of the Notification of the Securities and Exchange
Commission No. Kor Jor. 3/2560 Re: Determination of Untrustworthy
Characteristics of Company Directors and Executives dated 23 January 2017.