Bursa Malaysia Wants Independent Review of Serba Dinamik's Deals after KPMG's Red Flags

Liz Lee
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Credit: William/AdobeStock

Malaysian oil and gas service provider Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd must appoint an independent reviewer to address issues raised by the company's external auditor, the national stock exchange said on Wednesday.

In May, Serba said auditor KPMG had not been able to verify contracts and transactions worth 3.5 billion ringgit ($840.74 million) with 11 customers.

Serba rejected the concerns and has said it saw no issues with the existence or legitimacy of the contracts.

The company said last week it has agreed in principle to appoint Ernst & Young Advisory Services as the independent reviewer to assess the veracity and accuracy of the matters highlighted by KPMG, but has not finalized the appointment.

"To provide clarity to the market, it is imperative that (Serba Dinamik) undertake the necessary steps to appoint the independent reviewer immediately to address the uncertainty surrounding the veracity and accuracy of the matters, as highlighted by its external auditors, in a timely manner," Bursa Malaysia said in a statement.

The exchange also asked Serba to provide a timeframe for the appointment of the reviewer.

It was not immediately clear what the consequences will be for Serba if it did not fulfill the exchange's requirement.

Serba said earlier this week it has taken legal action against KPMG, saying the auditor "negligently red-flagged some issues". KPMG responded by saying it will vigorously contest any court proceedings.

In a stock exchange filing, Serba said late on Wednesday its board will be deliberating on Friday whether the scope of work of the independent reviewer has to be expanded. It did not specify what it meant by expanded scope, but the filing indicated it was seeking an end to its relationship with KPMG.

"Based on legal advice, the company is of the view KPMG PLT can no longer act independently as external auditors," it said.

Serba has lost two-thirds of its market value since KPMG raised its concerns in May.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, Malaysia's securities regulator said its investigation into Serba Dinamik was ongoing.

It had launched the investigation last month when the audit issues first came to light.

 ($1 = 4.1630 ringgit) 

(Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Martin Petty and Muralikumar Anantharaman)


Categories: Finance Industry News Activity Asia People & Company News Oilfield Services

Related Stories

China Starts Production at Major Oil Field in Bohai Sea

China Starts Production at Major Oil Field in Bohai Sea

China Rolls Out 17MW Floating Wind Turbine Prototype

China Rolls Out 17MW Floating Wind Turbine Prototype

EnQuest Picks Up Offshore Oil and Gas Block in Brunei

Baker Hughes, Petronas Team Up for Asia-Pacific Energy Resilience

Valeura Makes Progress with Multi-Well Drilling Campaign in Gulf of Thailand

PTTEP Hires Energy Drilling’s Rig for Southeast Asia Offshore Job

PTTEP Hires Velesto’s Jack-Up Rig for Drilling Campaign off Malaysia

Petrovietnam, Partners Sign PSC for Block Off Vietnam

CNOOC Signs Hydrocarbons Exploration and Production Deal with Kazakhstan

Woodside and Jera Agree LNG Cargoes Supply for Japan’s Winter Period

Current News

Pandion Energy Divests Interests in Three Norwegian Assets to Inpex

China Starts Production at Major Oil Field in Bohai Sea

Dutch Contractor Completes Malaysia’s Largest 'Rig-to-Reef' Decom Project

China Rolls Out 17MW Floating Wind Turbine Prototype

SBM Offshore’s Jaguar FPSO Enters Drydock in Singapore (Video)

EnQuest Picks Up Offshore Oil and Gas Block in Brunei

CNOOC Finds Oil and Gas in South China Sea

Seatrium Makes First Turnkey FPSO Delivery to Petrobras

KBR-SOCAR Joint Venture Secures Work for BP in Azerbaijan

Baker Hughes, Petronas Team Up for Asia-Pacific Energy Resilience

photo

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com