HONG KONG -(Dow Jones)- Cambodia casino operator NagaCorp Ltd. said Tuesday it will delay its listing in Hong Kong after it was asked by regulators to provide a report by an independent third party on the company's anti-money-laundering controls.
NagaCorp, the operator of the only licensed casino in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, said it had engaged Hill & Associates Ltd. to review and audit its internal controls with a focus on anti-money laundering.
But the Hong Kong stock exchange's listing committee said it wouldn't be appropriate to accept the report as "there may be a perception of a lack of independence of Hill & Associates as an independent expert," NagaCorp said in a statement.
NagaCorp said Chairman Tim McNally had reviewed the report in his capacity as a director of NagaCorp, but had no involvement in the preparation of the report.
NagaCorp said it intends to resolve the issue and proceed with the listing as soon as possible.
The offering is being arranged by Anglo Chinese Corporate Finance Ltd. and Kim Eng Securities (Hong Kong) Ltd.
NagaCorp, owned by Malaysian business tycoon Chen Lip Keong, had applied for a listing in June, but shelved that IPO due to poor market conditions.
Local media have reported the company was planning to raise between HK$400 million and HK$600 million from the IPO.
-By Joyce Li, Dow Jones Newswires; 852-2802-7002; joyce.li@dowjones.com
-Edited by Andrew Bullard
NagaCorp, the operator of the only licensed casino in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, said it had engaged Hill & Associates Ltd. to review and audit its internal controls with a focus on anti-money laundering.
But the Hong Kong stock exchange's listing committee said it wouldn't be appropriate to accept the report as "there may be a perception of a lack of independence of Hill & Associates as an independent expert," NagaCorp said in a statement.
NagaCorp said Chairman Tim McNally had reviewed the report in his capacity as a director of NagaCorp, but had no involvement in the preparation of the report.
NagaCorp said it intends to resolve the issue and proceed with the listing as soon as possible.
The offering is being arranged by Anglo Chinese Corporate Finance Ltd. and Kim Eng Securities (Hong Kong) Ltd.
NagaCorp, owned by Malaysian business tycoon Chen Lip Keong, had applied for a listing in June, but shelved that IPO due to poor market conditions.
Local media have reported the company was planning to raise between HK$400 million and HK$600 million from the IPO.
-By Joyce Li, Dow Jones Newswires; 852-2802-7002; joyce.li@dowjones.com
-Edited by Andrew Bullard
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