Sino-Forest (TRE.TSX), accused of overstating assets by short seller Carson Block’s firm Muddy Waters, announced yesterday that a proposed analyst tour of its Chinese operations will be postponed until an independent committee reports the results of an investigation into the allegations, Bloomberg reported. The company justified the decision by saying that “many” of the analysts who follow the company cannot resume coverage or comment publicly until the committee completes its report, which may take two or three more months. Sino-Forest shares have dropped 74% since Muddy Waters published a report on June 2 accusing the company of fraud. Sino-Forest denied the allegations and commissioned an independent investigation, appointing auditor PwC (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers) to assist. The tour was supposed to take place in mid-July. Sino-Forest shares are traded in Canada, where the main securities regulator is already reviewing Sino-Forest as part of a “targeted review” of companies that operate in emerging markets and trade on the country’s exchanges.
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