Final Notice

On , the Financial Conduct Authority issued a Final Notice to Asia Resource Minerals plc

FINAL NOTICE

To:

Asia Resource Minerals plc (formerly Bumi plc)

Company No:
07460129

Of:

Atlas House


3rd Floor


173 Victoria Street


London


SW1E 5NH

1.
ACTION

1.1.
For the reasons given in this notice, the Authority hereby imposes on Asia

Resource Minerals plc a financial penalty of £4,651,200.

1.2.
Asia Resource Minerals plc agreed to settle at an early stage of the Authority’s

investigation. Asia Resource Minerals plc therefore qualified for a 30% (stage 1)

discount under the Authority’s executive settlement procedures. Were it not for

this discount, the Authority would have imposed a financial penalty of £6,644,641

on Asia Resource Minerals plc.

2.
SUMMARY OF REASONS

2.1.
Asia Resource Minerals plc ("ARM" or "the Company"), is a company incorporated

in the UK with a premium listing of its ordinary shares on the Official List. The

Company was admitted to the premium listed segment of the Official List on 28

June 2011. Prior to listing, the Company acquired holdings in coal mining

operations
based
in
Indonesia.
These
acquisitions
included
an
84.7%

shareholding in an Indonesian-incorporated company engaged in mining activities

called PT Berau Coal Energy Tbk (the “Subsidiary"). The Subsidiary is listed on

the Indonesian Stock Exchange.

2.2.
24 September 2012, approximately 15 months after listing, the Company

announced that it had become aware of allegations concerning potential financial

and other irregularities in its Indonesian operations. The Company commissioned

an investigation into the allegations. On 21 January 2013, the Company

announced that the investigation had been completed and that it was addressing

the issues raised by that investigation.

2.3.
In around October 2012, the Company commenced a review of the effectiveness

of its internal controls, which included a review of its related party processes.

From December 2012, the Company commenced a separate review of any historic

potential related party transactions that had been entered into by the Subsidiary

so as to have a complete record of such transactions prior to the preparation of

the Company's Annual Financial Report for the year end 31 December 2012 ("AFR

2012"). In addition, as part of its preparation of the AFR 2012, the Company

investigated certain transactions where the ultimate counterparty or beneficiary

was not clear.

2.4.
As a result of the review of historic potential related party transactions, on 17

March 2013, the Company indicated to its financial advisers that it may have

failed to comply with its obligations under the Listing Rules ("LRs") and the

Disclosure and Transparency Rules ("DTRs") with regard to what might have been

related party transactions. The Company subsequently provided its financial

advisers with a list of historic potential related party transactions (the "Schedule")

in order to determine whether there was a requirement to notify the Authority of

any breach of LR 11.

2.5.
On 19 April 2013 the Company notified the UK Listing Authority ("UKLA") that

while it continued to review the integrity of a number of items on the balance

sheet of the Subsidiary, including performing the review of the historic potential

related party transactions, it would be unable to publish its AFR 2012 by 30 April

2013. With effect from 22 April 2013, the Company's shares were suspended

from the Official List. The Company eventually published its AFR 2012 on 31 May

2013, but was in breach of DTR 4.1.3R for failing to publish within four months of

the end of its financial year. The Company's shares were suspended from trading

for approximately three months, eventually returning to trading on 22 July 2013

after the Company had confirmed, at the request of the UKLA, that it was now

compliant with Listing Principles 2 and 4.

2.6.
Following consultation with its financial advisers between March and May 2013

regarding the transactions on the Schedule, the Company identified certain

transactions which were, in fact, Related Party Transactions for the purpose of the

LRs ("RPTs"). In a letter dated 23 May 2013, the Company's financial advisers

notified the UKLA that three transactions which took place during the period from

its listing on 28 June 2011 to 19 July 2013, the date that the Authority approved

the return of the Company’s shares to trading (the “Relevant Period”) were RPTs,

that they had not been identified as such previously and that there had been a

breach of the requirements of the LRs in respect of those three transactions (the

"Admitted RPTs").

2.7.
In addition to certain specific breaches of the LRs relating to RPTs, the Authority

considers that the Company was also in breach of Listing Principle 2 ("LP2").

Throughout the Relevant Period, the Company failed to take reasonable steps to

establish and maintain adequate procedures, systems and controls to enable it to

comply with its obligations, in breach of LP2. In particular, the Company's breach

of LP2 impacted its ability to identify whether any obligations arose under LR 11.

Although the Company had a policy and procedures in relation to the treatment of

RPTs (the "RPT Policy"), the Company's procedures, systems and controls in

relation to RPTs were inadequate in that the Company failed to:

(1)
take reasonable steps to manage the increased risk of the occurrence of

RPTs
given
the
Company's
structure
and
its
Subsidiary
director

relationships;

(2)
establish adequate management oversight and control over the Subsidiary

in a timely manner; and

(3)
implement the RPT Policy at both the Company and Subsidiary level.

2.8.
The Company also breached specific LRs and DTRs, namely LR 8.2.3R, LR

11.1.10R, LR 11.1.11R and DTR 4.1.3R, during the Relevant Period.

2.9.
The Admitted RPTs were transactions, other than in the ordinary course of

business, between the Subsidiary and Related Parties within the meaning of the

LRs. The total value of the Admitted RPTs was US$12,700,000 (£8,054,111). The

counterparties to the Admitted RPTs were companies associated with Mr Rosan

Roeslani ("Mr Roeslani"), a Non-Executive Director of the Company from 11 April

Page 4 of 38


2011 to 19 December 2012 and the President Director1 of the Subsidiary from

July 2010 to 7 March 2013. In relation to the Admitted RPTs, the Company

breached the requirements of LR 11.1.10R as it did not provide the required

confirmations to the Authority before entering into certain of those transactions

and breached LR 11.1.11R on the basis that it did not aggregate those

transactions as required under the LRs.

2.10. The Company was also required under LR 8.2.3R to obtain the guidance of a

Sponsor when proposing to enter into a transaction which is, or may be, an RPT

in order to assess the application of the LRs and DTRs. A transaction which is in

the ordinary course of business or clearly falls beneath the percentage threshold

set out in LR 11 Annex 1(1) will not amount to an RPT. A listed company may

itself be well placed to determine whether a transaction is an RPT, for example

where the transaction is clearly in the ordinary course of business or falls within

the small transaction exemption. However, where there is sufficient uncertainty

as to whether a proposed transaction is an RPT, a Sponsor must be consulted.

The Company failed to consult a Sponsor when proposing to enter each of the

transactions in the Schedule and did not carry out any analysis at that time as to

the status of the transactions being RPTs. Moreover, the Company had sufficient

uncertainty about the transactions in the Schedule so as to make them the

subject of review by the Company's financial advisers between March and May

2013. From this review by their financial advisers, the Admitted RPTs were

identified. Accordingly, the Authority considers that the Company breached LR

8.2.3R both in relation to each of the Admitted RPTs and in relation to the

remaining transactions set out in the Schedule (the latter being referred to as the

"Sponsor Review Transactions" in this notice).

2.11. Despite undertaking an extensive internal investigation, the Company was not

able to identify the ultimate beneficiaries of and/or counterparties to a number of

transactions involving the Subsidiary. The Company classified these transactions

as the 'Other Transactions' in its AFR 2012 and attributed a total value of

US$225.3 million to them (the "Other Transactions"). The Authority considers

that the Company's failure to take reasonable steps to implement and maintain

adequate procedures, systems and controls may have contributed to its inability

to identify, prevent and take action earlier in respect of the transactions which it

has classified as the Other Transactions.

1 Equivalent to a Chief Executive Officer

2.12. The Authority therefore imposes a financial penalty on the Company in the

amount of £4,651,200 pursuant to section 91 of the Act for its breach of LP2, LR

8.2.3R, LR 11.1.10R, LR 11.1.11R and DTR 4.1.3R during the Relevant Period.

3.
DEFINITIONS

3.1.
The definitions below are used in this Final Notice.

Act"
means the Financial Services and Markets Act

2000.

"Admitted RPT"
means any one of the three RPTs admitted by

the Company in a letter dated 23 May 2013 to

be in breach of certain LRs, collectively the

"Admitted RPTs".

"AFR 2012"
means the Annual Financial Report for the

year ending 31 December 2012 published on

31 May 2013.

"ARM"
means Asia Resource Minerals plc, formerly

Bumi plc, a company incorporated in England

and Wales (company number 07460129).

"Auditors"
means the Company's Auditors during the

Relevant Period.

"Authority"
means the body corporate previously known

as the Financial Services Authority and

renamed on 1 April 2013 as the Financial

Conduct Authority.

"Company"
means ARM.

"Conflicts Committee"
means the Conflicts Committee established by

the Company's Board of Directors prior to

listing on 28 June 2011.

"DEPP"
means the Authority's Decision Procedure and

Penalties Guide.

"DTRs"
means the Disclosure Rules and Transparency

Rules.

"FRP Review"
The review performed by the Company's

internal audit team between 17 April 2013

and 8 July 2013 into the Company's Financial

Reporting Procedures in response to the

Authority's request for confirmation that the

Company was compliant with LP 2 and LP4.

"LP2"
means Listing Principle 2 as in force during

the Relevant Period.

"LRs"
means the UKLA Listing Rules.

"Official List"
means the list maintained by the Authority

(acting in its capacity as the UKLA) in

accordance with Section 74(1) of the Act for

the purpose of Part VI of the Act.

"Other Transaction"
means a transaction referred to in the

Company's AFR 2012 at Note 31.2 as 'Other

Transactions (where the ultimate counterparty

or beneficiary is not clear)'.

"Related Companies"
means
the
companies
with
which
the

Subsidiary entered into the Admitted RPTs,

such
companies
being
associates
of
Mr

Roeslani.

"Related Party"
means a related party within the meaning of

the LRs, or plurally "Related Parties".

"Relevant Period"
means 28 June 2011 to 19 July 2013

inclusive.

"Mr Roeslani"
means Mr Rosan Roeslani, a Non-Executive

Director of the Company from 11 April 2011

to 19 December 2012 and the President

Director of the Subsidiary from July 2010 to

March 2013.

"RP List"
means the Related Party list created and

updated by the Company from time to time

with
a
record
of
individuals,
connected

parties,
major
shareholders,
relationship

agreements
and
associates
disclosed
by

Directors at the Company and its subsidiaries.

"RPT"
means a Related Party Transaction as defined

by the LRs.

"RPT Policy"
means
the
Company's
related
party

transaction policy and procedures.

"Schedule"
the list of historic potential related party

transactions provided by the Company to its

financial advisors between March and May

2013 in order to determine whether there was

a requirement to notify the Authority of any

breach of LR 11.

"Sponsor"
means a sponsor as defined by the LRs, and

includes an independent advisor acceptable to

the Authority as referred to in LR 11.1.10R

prior to the amendment to the rule on 31

December 2012 whereupon it referred to a

Sponsor.

"Sponsor Review Transaction"
means any one of the historic potential

related party transactions, other than the

Admitted RPTs, included on the Schedule.

"Subsidiary"
means PT Berau Coal Energy Tbk, a majority-

owned subsidiary of the Company which is

incorporated in Indonesia and listed on the

Indonesian Stock Exchange.

"Tribunal"
means the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery

Chamber).

"UKLA"
means the United Kingdom Listing Authority,

a department within the FCA.

4.
FACTS AND MATTERS

Background

4.1.
The Company is the parent company of a thermal coal exploration and production

group with interests in some of the largest coal assets in Indonesia. The Company

was admitted to the premium listed segment of the Official List on 28 June 2011

with a market capitalisation of £2.474 billion. During the Relevant Period, the

Company was in the FTSE 250. The Company is currently in the FTSE All-Share

Index with a market capitalisation of £36.7 million as of 19 March 2015.

4.2.
The Company should have been aware of the need to have a robust RPT policy

from the outset of listing and to ensure that this was implemented within both the

Company and the Subsidiary. This was particularly important in the case of the

(1)
the Subsidiary is an Indonesian company with Indonesian senior

management who were unfamiliar with UK listing requirements;

(2)
there were a number of Company Board Directors, including directors

nominated by the shareholders who were founders of the Company, and

Subsidiary Board Directors, with senior management or Board positions in

other companies in the same industry, and other operations and financial

interests in Indonesia, with whom the Subsidiary might potentially enter

into agreements which increased the risk of RPTs arising; and

(3)
there were past concerns, identified in an independent analyst report

published shortly before the Company listed, about transactions entered into

by the Company prior to listing with parties related to the Company.

4.3.
As part of the Authority's investigation, a senior individual at the Company

observed that:

"... the nature of the structure [of the Company], with the founder

shareholders
also
having
relationship
agreements
and
having
their

representatives on the board, I would think ...it would have been a high risk

of Related Party Transactions coming out of that structure as opposed to a

completely independent structure."

4.4.
It should, therefore, have been understood at a senior level within the Company

that the composition and nature of the group created a high risk of RPTs. This

being the case, the Company should have paid especially close attention to

ensuring that it took reasonable steps to establish and implement an effective

RPT Policy including at Subsidiary level

The RPT Policy

4.5.
Prior to listing, the Company created and the Company's Board approved the RPT

Policy. The RPT Policy was captured in a flow diagram and was designed to

identify RPTs before they were entered into by the Company so that the Company

could, inter alia, comply with its obligations under the LRs in relation to RPTs.

4.6.
It was intended that the RPT Policy would operate, broadly, as follows:

(1)
the RPT Policy relied on the creation and maintenance of an RP List which

set out the Company's Related Parties;

(2)
prior to entering a transaction, that proposed transaction should be

considered against the RP List to see if it involved a Related Party or if the

purpose and effect was to benefit a Related Party;

(3)
if the transaction was with a Related Party, it was considered to be caught

by the LRs, unless the transaction was in the ordinary course of business;

(4)
if the transaction was not considered to be in the ordinary course of

business, specific members of the Company's senior management and the

Conflicts Committee would be notified of the transaction and a Sponsor

would be instructed to calculate the class test percentage ratios;

(5)
if it was determined by a Sponsor that the transaction was less than 0.25%

of each of the class test percentage ratios on an individual or aggregate

basis, the Conflict Committee would review the transaction, and authorise

and approve it where appropriate; and

(6)
if any of the class test percentage ratios were equal to or greater than

0.25%, the Conflicts Committee would review the transaction and, if it was

approved, would make a recommendation to the Board of the Company for

further approval. If approved by the Board, the Sponsor would then take

steps to notify the Authority in accordance with the requirements under the

LRs depending on which class test percentage ratios had been reached or

exceeded.

4.7.
The existence of an RPT policy, however, was not sufficient on its own; the RPT

Policy required effective implementation. In fact, the Company's implementation

of its RPT Policy was inadequate, as set out in greater detail below.

Responsibility for the RPT Policy

4.8.
The monitoring of transactions with Related Parties for the purposes of the LRs

was a matter reserved for the Board or appropriate Board Committee. Prior to

listing, the Board established a Conflicts Committee, whose duties included:

(1)
establishing and maintaining a process regarding Related Parties and RPTs;

(2)
ensuring that any RPT entered into by the Company was, to the extent

applicable, compliant with Chapter 11 of the LRs; and

(3)
ensuring that the Company Board was briefed on related party issues and,

as and when appropriate, making recommendations to the Board for the

authorisation of RPTs.

4.9.
The Conflicts Committee was required to meet as often as was deemed

necessary. As it transpired, the Conflicts Committee met seven times during the

Relevant Period.

4.10. In its Annual Financial Report for 2013, the Company stated that the Conflicts

Committee "reviewed its terms of reference and the performance of the Conflicts

Committee as a result of which the Committee has decided to meet more

frequently in 2014. As disclosed in the Company's 2012 annual report, this

Committee had not operated as effectively as it should in 2012 as a result of

noncompliance with certain of the Company's policies and lack of disclosure by

former [Subsidiary] management."

Training on the RPT Policy

4.11. The Company prepared materials for a workshop for the Directors and other

senior management at the Subsidiary to be held shortly prior to listing on 28 June

2011. The training was aimed at explaining the rules, regulations and guidelines

to which the Company, as a UK public listed company, and its directors must

adhere. It included training on the LRs, LP2, financial reporting under DTR 4,

RPTs and the application of the class tests. The initial training sessions were not

attended by certain key members of the Subsidiary Board. This non-attendance

was not followed up within a reasonable time and no record has been provided by

the Company that the relevant individuals received this training.

4.12. A subsequent programme of training for new directors at both Company and

Subsidiary level was created in March 2012. However, again, it is not clear when

and to whom this training was given.

4.13. In addition, the Company does not appear to have provided any training for

employees of the Subsidiary below director or senior management level in

relation to transaction reporting or the RPT Policy.

Communication and Approval of the RPT Policy at Subsidiary level

4.14. On 8 June 2011, shortly prior to listing, the Conflicts Committee convened for the

first time and approved the RPT Policy. The Conflicts Committee recommended to

the Company Board at its meeting on 9 June 2011 that the RPT Policy be adopted

on behalf of the Company and the other members of the group. The Company

Board gave responsibility for the communication of the RPT Policy throughout the

group, including to the Subsidiary, to certain senior individuals at the Company.

However, as it transpired, the RPT Policy was only communicated to the

Subsidiary, at the earliest, in October 2011 and the RPT Policy was only approved

by the Subsidiary Board at a meeting on 30 November 2011, five months after

the Company's listing on 28 June 2011.

4.15. The Company subsequently developed a process designed to underpin and

implement the approved RPT Policy. Broadly, it was proposed that the related

party process be incorporated into the finance department's processes which

already included a requirement to record related party transactions for the

purposes of the International Financial Reporting Standards international

accounting standards.

4.16. The Conflicts Committee did not meet to approve this underlying related party

process but instead agreed it by email on 12 December 2011. At the Board

Meeting on 20 December 2011, it was reported that the underlying related party

process had been approved by the Conflicts Committee. The Conflicts Committee

formally confirmed its approval for this underlying related party process when it

met again on 25 March 2012, nine months after listing.

4.17. At its Board meeting on 30 November 2011, the Subsidiary Board designated

responsibility to two individuals at the Subsidiary to determine how to implement

the RPT Policy at Subsidiary level. However, it was not until 20 February 2012

that Mr Roeslani, the President Director of the Subsidiary, circulated a

memorandum to the Subsidiary Board of Directors and other senior management

noting the policies approved by the Company, including the RPT Policy, and

requesting co-operation with them. It was only then that the individuals at the

Subsidiary directed to implement the RPT Policy confirmed that steps were being

taken to that effect, some eight months after listing.

The RP List

4.18. For the RPT Policy to work effectively, it was necessary that the Company

established and maintained a comprehensive RP List. The RP List was compiled by

the Company and was collated using the responses provided by the Company and

Subsidiary Directors to their Conflicts Questionnaires and Emolument forms and

from information provided by the finance departments of the Company and the

Subsidiary. It also included other companies known at that time to be connected

to the Company and the Subsidiary and was updated twice a year. An RP List was

available in November 2011 but it was not complete at that time; substantive

updates to add further Related Parties took place thereafter in January 2012,

June 2012, December 2012 and April 2013. Pursuant to the Company's RPT

Policy, it was the responsibility of the Directors of the Company and the

Subsidiary to keep the information regarding their Related Parties up to date. By

February 2013, during the preparation of the AFR 2012 the Company became

aware that the RP Lists were not complete as the Subsidiary had not provided the

necessary information. Without a complete RP List, the Company could not

perform adequate checks as to whether a prospective transaction involved a

Related Party, as envisaged by the RPT Policy.

Management Oversight of the Subsidiary and implementation of the
Company's policies at the Subsidiary

Representation on the Board of the Subsidiary

4.19. In December 2011, at meetings of the Audit Committee and the Board of the

Company it was agreed that certain senior individuals from the Company should

be appointed as Board members of the Subsidiary and/or be entitled to attend the

Subsidiary Board meetings to provide a degree of oversight and control over the

Subsidiary, including in respect of the implementation of the RPT Policy.

4.20. Approximately three months later, a report to the Audit Committee by the

Auditors dated 21 March 2012 stated that while progress had been made in

addressing the Company's key process and control deficiencies:

"... there remain significant challenges for the Group to address if it is to

establish and embed fully effective oversight and reporting mechanisms. Key

elements in making short term progress include, most notably: ... Increasing

[the Company's] representation on the Board of [the Subsidiary]...".

4.21. At an Audit Committee meeting on 12 December 2012, over one year after the

requirement for greater oversight of the Subsidiary had been agreed by the Audit

Committee and the Board of the Company, the Audit Committee was still dealing

with this oversight issue which remained unresolved. The Audit Committee agreed

with regard to the effectiveness of the internal controls, which included the

related party process, that:

"...the Company had the required expertise but that more corporate oversight

was required from the Company as regards the proper implementation of

these controls across [the Subsidiary]".

4.22. As it transpired, management oversight of the Subsidiary through representation

on its Board effectively did not happen until March 2013, 15 months after the

requirement for such management oversight had been agreed by the Company

and 21 months after listing.

The Executive Committee

4.23. At a Board meeting of the Company on 20 December 2011, a need for an

effective and operating Executive Committee ("Exco") was identified to approve

policies and processes, and to oversee the effective implementation of policies

across the group. In fact, Exco convened for the first time in May 2012 (nearly a

year after listing) and a formalised Exco was not established until March 2013.

While it was proposed that Exco would meet every fortnight, in practice, it met

less frequently during the Relevant Period.

4.24. As part of the Authority's investigation, one of the Auditors noted that:

"I think it is fair to say that the ... Exec Committee... didn't meet as often as

it should and therefore the ... connection between London and [the

Subsidiary] wasn't as cohesive and as connected as it could have been...

Some of the committees and some of the structures that had been designed

weren't operating as effectively as they might've done."

4.25. The implementation of the RPT Policy within the Subsidiary was explicitly

referenced as a "particular matter of concern" at the Exco meeting in July 2012.

Specific potential RPTs were discussed at subsequent meetings, however, the

Authority considers that the expressed concern was not addressed sufficiently

quickly and effectively.

AFR 2012

4.26. The Company has acknowledged in its AFR 2012 that there was a breakdown in

management oversight of the Subsidiary and the Company policies had not been

implemented, noting that without enhanced governance "[the Company] would

remain exposed to controls over its Indonesian operations not being fully

effective." In summary, as part of the Authority's investigation, a senior individual

at the Company observed that:

"...the [RPT Policy] was pretty well designed and thought through, but there

wasn't much evidence of implementation."

Red flags regarding the effective operation of the RPT Policy

4.27. On a number of occasions, the Company was or should have been put on notice

that its RPT Policy was not effective and, more generally, of the importance of

complying with its obligations under the listing regime in relation to RPTs. Such

red flags included recommendations from Internal Audit, external auditor

enquiries and concerns, a retrospective RPT referral and a relevant and timely

Final Notice on RPTs published by the FCA, as detailed below at paragraph 4.35.

Internal Audit

4.28. From its listing on 28 June 2011 until September 2012, the Company outsourced

its internal audit function to external advisers. From August 2011, the Company

identified a need to recruit a Group Head of Audit and Risk to manage the internal

function from within the Company and replace the external advisers. Although a

target date of 31 December 2011 was initially set, an appointment to this role

was not made until October 2012, some ten months later.

4.29. In August 2011, the external advisors given responsibility for the internal audit

function completed a Risk Management and Audit Review of the Company and its

group. The external advisers identified numerous
risks and areas
for

improvement, and made a number of recommendations to the Company. Among

the recommendations in this review, was the need to provide training to key staff

throughout the group in order to embed standard processes and to perform a

detailed review and testing of the RPT processes in place to capture and identify

RPTs across the Company. At meetings on 16 August 2011, the Audit Committee

and the Company Board approved and adopted these recommendations. As it

transpired, training to key staff was limited (as described above) and until a

Group Head of Audit and Risk was appointed ten months later, a review and

testing of the RPT processes was not put in place.

The Company's Auditors

4.30. The Company's Auditors regularly reported to the Company's Audit Committee

and the Board. The Auditors identified from as early as August 2011, that limited

or incomplete information was available in relation to certain transactions which

the Auditors considered should be examined and, if appropriate, re-negotiated.

However, as stated above, full information regarding the transactions which the

Company characterised as the Other Transactions in its AFR 2012 was still not

available at the time that the Company reported the Admitted RPTs to the UKLA

in May 2013.

4.31. Between December 2011 and May 2013, on a number of occasions the Company

and its Auditors requested information from the Subsidiary in respect of potential

related parties, potential related party transactions and the Other Transactions.

The information received from the Subsidiary in response to these requests was

often delayed, incomplete or inaccurate, such that the Company and its Auditors

had to repeat or persist with responses for accurate information. The failure or

delay by the Subsidiary in reporting financial information has been described by

the Company and its Auditors as resulting from behaviour that ranged from

incompetence, to a lack of resources, a lack of quality processes and

appropriately skilled finance professionals, to simply uncooperative behaviour on

the part of the Subsidiary.

4.32. One consequence of this was that the related party disclosures and the Other

Transactions in the Annual Financial Report for the year end 31 December 2011,

published on 30 April 2012, had to be restated in the AFR 2012. The Company did

not take steps to address the inadequate flow of information from the Subsidiary

until after it became aware of alleged financial irregularities in its Indonesian

operations.

Other Red Flags

4.33. On 25 March 2012, the Conflicts Committee retrospectively considered a

transaction which had already been entered into by the Subsidiary and a Related

Party. While the Conflicts Committee on behalf of the Company ultimately

concluded that this transaction was in the ordinary course of business and

therefore not an RPT, it nonetheless called into question whether the RPT Policy

was being implemented effectively at the Subsidiary. At the same Conflicts

Committee meeting, the Conflicts Committee agreed that it should be made clear

to the Subsidiary that retrospective approval of RPTs was not considered

acceptable. However, it is not clear what further steps were taken to consider the

effectiveness of the RPT Policy at that time.

4.34. A Non-Executive Director of the Company during the Relevant Period agreed,

during the course of the Authority's investigation, that this retrospectively

approved transaction should have been identified by the RPT Policy but that there

was a "hole in the process to identify it".

4.35. In June 2012, the Company circulated to the Conflicts Committee and the

Subsidiary the Authority's Final Notice in relation to Exillon Energy plc dated 26

April 2012 (the "Exillon Notice") which imposed a penalty for breaches of the LRs

in relation to RPTs. The Company noted that this penalty illustrated the need to

identify all Related Parties and follow the relevant procedures under the LRs, and

demonstrated that the Authority was very serious about all aspects of compliance

with the rules. The Company reminded senior management at the Subsidiary

that, in relation to transactions requiring approval of the Company Board or any

Committee, approval should be sought prior to the transaction being entered into.

The Company also included a list of recommendations developed by the

Company's external advisers to ensure compliance with the LRs. However, no

substantive steps were taken by the Company to review the effectiveness of the

RPT Policy or its processes surrounding related party transactions until after

September 2012.

The Discovery of Financial Irregularities and Subsequent Company
Reviews

4.36. On 24 September 2012, the Company announced that it had become aware of

allegations concerning, among other matters, potential financial irregularities in

its Indonesian operations. This was one of the events that prompted the Company

to take steps to review its transactions and, ultimately, to take remedial action.

Review of historic potential related party transactions

4.37. In particular, from October 2012, the Company's Internal Audit team commenced

a review of the effectiveness of the Company's internal controls, including the

Company's related party processes. In December 2012, the Internal Audit team

also commenced a review of the historic potential related party transactions

entered into by the Subsidiary for the purpose of completing the AFR 2012.

4.38. The outcome of the Internal Audit team's review of historic potential related party

transactions was formally presented to the Conflicts Committee on 25 March 2013

and it identified a number of potential RPTs which had already been entered into

by the Subsidiary. The Internal Audit team's review of historic potential related

party transactions formed the basis of the Schedule that was provided to the

Company's financial advisers.

4.39. Shortly prior to this, on 17 March 2013, the Company indicated to its financial

advisers that it may have failed to comply with its obligations under the LRs and

DTRs with regard to historic potential related party transactions. Accordingly, the

Schedule was subsequently provided to the Company's financial advisers with a

view to identifying which historic potential related party transactions, if any, were

(in hindsight) RPTs. The Company's financial advisers concluded that three of the

transactions were, in fact, RPTs and accordingly notified the Authority of this by

the letter dated 23 May 2013.

Review of the Other Transactions

4.40. By 19 March 2013, as part of its preparation of the AFR 2012, the Company had

become aware of material financial irregularities, unverified transactions and

unaccounted expenses on the balance sheet of the Subsidiary. At this point,

having become aware of these financial irregularities and the historic potential

related party transactions, it became clear to the Company that extensive work

was required in order to finalise its AFR 2012.

4.41. Consequently, on 19 March 2013 the Company announced that it would defer

publishing its AFR 2012 to 24 April 2013. Between March and April 2013, the

Company took steps to investigate and substantiate the unverified transactions

entered into by the Subsidiary. Ultimately, these transactions were included in the

Company's AFR 2012 as the Other Transactions and were described as having no

clear business purpose or where the ultimate counterparty or beneficiary was

unclear.

4.42. The Company has stated that it was and remains unable to perform a related

party analysis in relation to the Other Transactions as the Company either (i) did

not know about the transactions in advance of them being entered into, or (ii) the

Company did know about them and was unaware of the identity of the ultimate

beneficiary or counterparty, but considered the transactions to be in the ordinary

course of business and so considered that no further analysis was necessary as to

whether they were RPTs.

4.43. The Authority has made no findings regarding the nature of the Other

Transactions.

Suspension and Compliance with LPs

4.44. On 17 April 2013, the Authority asked the Company to confirm that it was

compliant with LP2 and LP4. On 19 April 2013, the Company requested a

suspension of its shares as the publication of the AFR 2012 had become highly

unlikely while it took steps to review the integrity of a number of items on the

balance sheet of the Subsidiary. At the same time, the Company agreed that it

would confirm that it was in compliance with LP2 and LP4 at the point that the

Company's shares ceased to be suspended. As a result, the Company's shares

were suspended from trading from 22 April 2013.

4.45. Between the suspension of its shares on 22 April 2013 and 8 July 2013, the

Company continued to review the integrity of a number of items on the balance

sheet of its Subsidiary in order to be able to publish its AFR 2012 and be in a

position to provide confirmation that the Company was compliant with LP2 and

LP4. The Company's Internal Audit team had already commenced an investigation

into the effectiveness of its internal controls, with updates provided to the Audit

Committee on 25 March and 17 April 2013. Having been asked by the Authority

on 17 April 2013 to confirm that it was in compliance with LP2 and LP4 this

review became part of a wider review of the adequacy of the Company's Financial

Reporting Procedures (the "FRP Review").

4.46. The FRP Review identified a number of historical issues at the Company and the

Subsidiary involving its financial reporting procedures. The FRP Review also

described details of the actions taken, or in progress, since December 2012 (in

the case of the Company) and March 2013 (in the case of the Subsidiary), by the

Company to resolve these historical issues.

4.47. The historical issues identified included:

(1)
the Conflicts Committee's ineffectiveness as a result of a failure by the

Subsidiary to disclose certain related party transactions;

(2)
an informal and ineffective Exco;

(3)
a lack of skill, knowledge and organisation within certain members of the

senior management at the Subsidiary; and

(4)
ineffective processes within the Subsidiary for identifying and recording

RPTs.

4.48. The Company published its AFR 2012 on 31 May 2013 and stated that:

"Following concerns that its policies were not being fully complied with, the

Board, through the Audit Committee, undertook a review of contracts and

payments to identify counterparties and the extent of any transactions with

related parties. This work concluded that a number of related party

transactions had not been disclosed by former directors of PT Berau and that

a number of large payments could not be determined as having a clear

business purpose."

4.49. In the AFR 2012, disclosures were made in respect of transactions which the

Company characterised as the Other Transactions (where the ultimate

counterparty or beneficiary was unclear) to the value of US$157.7 million for

2012 and it restated the position for 2011 at US$67.6 million, amounting to a

total of US$225.3 million. Disclosures were also made in relation to related party

transactions and this included the three Admitted RPTs amounting to US$12.7

million.

4.50. The AFR 2012 went on to identify priority areas to be addressed in order to

enhance controls which included increasing direct exercise of parent company

control through Exco, ensuring appropriate resources and skills were more

effectively deployed throughout the group, and ensuring that policies and

procedures were fully implemented and effective.

4.51. On 8 July 2013, the Company confirmed by letter to the Authority that it

considered it was compliant with LP2 and LP4, stating:

"Following the replacement of the President Director ... the Board changed

the management at Berau, reviewed the organisation structure to increase

alignment with Bumi plc and reinforced the application of Group policies and

procedures within Berau ... The Board now believes that it is able to meet its

obligations pursuant to Listing Principle 2 and Listing Principle 4 and would

like to work actively with the FCA so that the suspension can be lifted as soon

as possible."

4.52. The Company's shares were finally restored to trading on 22 July 2013.

4.53. The events leading up to and surrounding the suspension of the Company's

shares for a period of three months between 22 April 2012 and 22 July 2013

caused considerable disruption to trading in the Company's shares over an

extended period of time. At the time the Company was first listed, its shares were

valued at around 1180p per share. Prior to the announcement by the Company on

24 September 2012 regarding the financial irregularities, the closing share price

was 195.9p; the closing share price then dropped to 147.6p after the

announcement. On 22 April 2013, when the Company announced that it was

delaying the publication of its AFR 2012 the closing share price was 259.3p and

on returning from suspension the closing share price was 237p.

The Admitted RPTs and related party disclosures

4.54. In its letter to the UKLA dated 23 May 2013, the Company's financial advisers

confirmed that, following the Company's various reviews, the Company had

discovered three previously unidentified transactions which were RPTs for the

purpose of the LRs (namely the Admitted RPTs) and that there had been a breach

of the requirements of certain of the LRs in respect of those transactions. The

Company's financial advisers confirmed that, on an aggregated basis, it appeared

that the Company had breached the requirements of LR11.1.10R by not providing

the required confirmations to the UKLA prior to the transactions being entered

into and accepted that it had not obtained the advice of a Sponsor in this regard.

The Admitted RPTs referred to in the 23 May 2013 letter took place during the

Relevant Period and were between the Subsidiary and companies associated with

Mr Roeslani ("the Related Companies"), as follows:

(1)
an unsecured loan of $7.1 was provided to PT Bukit Mutiara, a subsidiary

undertaking of the Recapital group. The Company's review of this

transaction found that the interest rate was considered below normal

commercial terms ("Admitted RPT 1");

(2)
PT AR Jet Asia, a company 50% owned by a 99.5% subsidiary undertaking

of the Recapital group, provided private jet hire for use by members of the

Subsidiary's senior management, amounting to a cost to the Subsidiary of

$1.2m in 2011 and $3.7m in 2012. The Company's review of this

transaction found that the majority of the jet's use was not in the ordinary

course of business ("Admitted RPT 2"); and

(3)
the purchase of a vessel by the Subsidiary from PT Capitalinc Finance, a

subsidiary undertaking of the Recapital group, for a total consideration of

Page 21 of 38


$0.7m in 2012. The Company's review of this transaction found that the

purchase of this vessel was not in the ordinary course of business

("Admitted RPT 3");

(together the "Admitted RPTs").

4.55. The total value of the Admitted RPTs was US$12,700.000.

4.56. While the Company was able to report that it had breached certain LRs in relation

to the Admitted RPTs, it was not able to confirm that all previously unknown RPTs

during the Relevant Period had been identified.

Steps Taken by the Company

4.57. During the Relevant Period and subsequently, the Company has taken steps to

address its failings with regard to its LP2, LR and DTR obligations, including the

(1)
the Company, via its Sponsor, referred the Admitted RPTs to the Authority;

(2)
the Company made changes to the senior management and Boards of the

Company and the Subsidiary and its subsidiaries;

(3)
the Company has implemented a wide scale training programme at the

Company and the Subsidiary in relation to the RPT policy;

(4)
the
oversight
and
control
of
the
Conflicts
Committee
has
been

strengthened;

(5)
the Exco has been formalised to be more effective; and

(6)
the Company has implemented and supported an improved culture within

the Subsidiary and its subsidiaries.

5.
FAILINGS

5.1.
The regulatory provisions relevant to this Final Notice are referred to in Annex A.

The Company was, throughout the Relevant Period, a company incorporated in

England and Wales with a premium listing of its ordinary shares on the Official

5.2.
The Company has breached a number of the LRs and the DTRs, namely:

(1)
Listing Principle 2;

(2)
Listing Rule 11.1.11R;

(3)
Listing Rule 11.1.10R;

(4)
Listing Rule 8.2.3R; and

(5)
Disclosure and Transparency Rule 4.1.3R.

Breach of LP2

5.3.
The Company breached LP2 by failing to take reasonable steps to establish and

maintain adequate procedures, systems and controls to enable it to comply with

its obligations as a listed company.

5.4.
LR 7.2.2G sets out the areas on which the Authority considers a listed company

should place particular emphasis and this includes identifying whether any

obligations arise under LR 11 (Related Party Transactions). In reaching the

conclusion that the Company has breached LP2, the Authority has considered the

factors set out below.

(A)
The Company failed to take reasonable steps to manage the increased risk of the
occurrence of RPTs

5.5.
The Company should have been aware from the outset of the heightened risk of

RPTs taking place but did not take sufficient steps to mitigate this risk. In

particular, the Company was aware of the following matters.

(1)
Given that the Subsidiary was based in Indonesia, its Directors were

unfamiliar with the UK listing regime.

(2)
The number of potentially connected parties among the founding

shareholders, their Indonesian operations and subsidiaries.

(3)
The number of Board Directors and Subsidiary Board Directors with senior

management or Board positions in other companies in the same industry,

and other operations and financial interests in Indonesia.

(4)
Past concerns regarding related party transactions.

(B)
The Company failed to establish adequate management oversight and control
over the Subsidiary in a timely manner

5.6.
The Company has acknowledged that during the Relevant Period it failed to

establish adequate management oversight and control over the Subsidiary. In

particular:

(1)
there were significant delays (of approximately 15 months) in attaining the

Company's representation on the Board of the Subsidiary and thereby

enhancing management oversight of the Subsidiary;

(2)
there was an overreliance on senior management at the Subsidiary to

implement the RPT Policy;

(3)
there was insufficient monitoring by the Company to ensure that the RPT

Policy was being implemented across the Subsidiary. Mr Roeslani, as the

President Director, circulated a memorandum to the Subsidiary Board in

February 2012 (eight months after listing) but, other than that, there was

no material confirmation that the RPT Policy had been implemented in

practice;

(4)
the Conflicts Committee provided limited oversight of the Subsidiary, did not

act effectively and met insufficiently often; and

(5)
oversight from Exco was similarly limited, initially identifying the RPT Policy

as a concern but then taking no steps to address it.

(C)
The Company failed to implement the RPT Policy at both the Company and
Subsidiary level

5.7.
While the Company created and approved an RPT Policy prior to listing, the

existence of that RPT policy was not sufficient on its own and it required effective

implementation. In a number of ways, the Company's implementation of the RPT

Policy was inadequate, including as follows:

(1)
There was inadequate training in relation to the RPT Policy. In particular, the

Company did not compel the attendance of the Subsidiary's senior

management at relevant training sessions, did not take adequate steps to

follow up on the non-attendance by senior management at these sessions,

did not provide sufficient follow up training and did not keep adequate

training records.

(2)
The Company relied on its Directors, the Subsidiary's Directors and other

senior individuals, including in the Subsidiary's finance team (into whose

processes the RPT Policy was intended to be embedded), to identify

potential RPTs and report them in accordance with its RPT Policy. But, in

providing inadequate training, the Company failed to ensure that these

individuals had the requisite knowledge and understanding of their

obligations pursuant to the LRs in relation to RPTs.

(3)
The Company communicated the RPT Policy to the Subsidiary, for the first

time, approximately four months after listing and, as a result, there was

delay in approving the RPT Policy at Subsidiary level, with formal approval

at
Subsidiary
Board
level
only
taking
place
in
November
2011,

approximately five months after listing. The Company also communicated

the process designed to underpin the RPT Policy to the Subsidiary, for the

first time, approximately six months after listing and itself approved this

process approximately nine months after listing.

(4)
The Company did not check the adequacy of the information received from

the Subsidiary and failed to maintain an accurate RP List. There was delay in

updating the RP List and Related Parties that should have appeared on the

RP List for 2011 and 2012, did not appear on the RP list until April 2013,

following the Internal Audit team's review of historic potential related party

transactions.

(5)
The Company only obtained a better understanding of the Subsidiary's

historic transactions after appointing a Head of Internal Audit in October

2012 and the subsequent review undertaken by the Internal Audit team of

the historic potential related party transactions, commenced some 18

months after listing. The Company has acknowledged that the lack of an in-

house Internal Audit function was an impediment and that progress was

made more quickly after this appointment.

(6)
The Company allocated responsibility for the RPT Policy to the Conflicts

Committee which met only seven times during the Relevant Period and

whose performance was acknowledged by the Company as not being as

effective as it could have been in its Annual Financial Report 2013.

Moreover, there was no clear allocation of responsibility or accountability,

within the Conflicts Committee or outside it, in relation to consulting a

Sponsor on the application of the LRs and DTRs, for applying the class tests

and aggregating any RPTs in accordance with the LRs.

(7)
The Company had no process in place to review and monitor the

financial/transactional information provided by the Subsidiary to the

Company both in relation to RPTs and the Other Transactions. Accordingly,

the Company was not able to determine whether the appropriate

information was being provided to the Conflicts Committee for review and,

ultimately, whether the RPT process was being applied effectively at the

Subsidiary.

(8)
The failure by the Subsidiary to provide financial/transactional information,

both to the Company and its external advisors, should have been addressed

by the Company much earlier. By May 2012, the Company was aware of

this problem but steps were not taken to address it until after September

2012, following the announcement of financial irregularities and the various

reviews which followed.

5.8.
The Company has acknowledged that there were problems with the effective

implementation of the RPT Policy within the group and that, had its procedures,

systems and controls been more effective, the Admitted RPTs would have been

identified at an earlier stage.

(D)
Summary of LP2 Failings

5.9.
The Authority considers that all of the factors above demonstrate a serious failure

in the Relevant Period to take reasonable steps to establish and maintain

appropriate procedures, systems and controls in breach of LP2. It is not sufficient

to have well-drafted policies and committees with detailed terms of reference at a

holding company level when those policies are not effectively communicated,

implemented and monitored at subsidiary level, where the underlying business of

the group is conducted.

5.10. The Company's failure to take reasonable steps to establish and maintain

adequate procedures, systems and controls is particularly serious given the

number of red flags that should have caused the Company to consider and review

its existing procedures. These red flags, individually or collectively, should have

put the Company on notice at an earlier stage that its RPT Policy was not being

implemented effectively.

5.11. The Authority also considers that the Company's failure to take reasonable steps

to establish and maintain adequate procedures, systems and controls contributed

to its failure to identify, prevent or take action earlier in connection with the

Admitted RPTs, the Sponsor Review Transactions and the Other Transactions.

The Admitted RPTs

5.12. As a Non-Executive Director of the Company and the President Director of the

Subsidiary when the Admitted RPTs were entered into, Mr Roeslani was a Related

Party for the purposes of LR 11.1.4R(2). Mr Roeslani was also the Chairman, Co-

Founder, and Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Recapital group. The Recapital

group is controlled by Mr Roeslani and the counterparties to the Admitted RPTs

were all entities within the Recapital group and, as such, were associates of Mr

Roeslani for the purpose of LR 11.1.4R(5). These counterparties were:


PT Bukit Mutiara (a subsidiary undertaking of the Recapital group and former

shareholder of the Company);


PT AR Jet Asia (50% owned by a 99.5% subsidiary undertaking of the

Recapital group); and


PT Capitalinc Finance (a subsidiary undertaking of the Recapital group).

Individual RPT breaches LR 11.1.10R

5.13. The Company has breached LR 11.1.10R in respect of Admitted RPT 1 and

Admitted RPT 2 where, in applying the class tests to these individual transactions

as set out at LR 10 Annex 1, each of the percentage ratios is less than 5% but,

for one of the class tests (Class Test 3 Consideration test), the percentage ratio

exceeds 0.25%.

5.14. In these circumstances, the Company failed before entering into Admitted RPT 1

(a)
inform the Authority in writing of the details of the proposed

transactions;

(b)
provide the Authority with written confirmation from an independent

adviser acceptable to the Authority that the terms of the proposed

transaction were fair and reasonable as far as the shareholders of the

Company were concerned; and

(c)
undertake in writing to the Authority to include details of the

transaction in the Company's next published annual accounts.

in breach of LR 11.1.10R(2)(a)-(c).

Failure to aggregate - LR 11.1.11R

5.15. Further, as each of the Admitted RPTs was a transaction entered into by the

Subsidiary with the same Related Party or any its associates for the purposes of

LR 11.1.11R(1), within a 12 month period, the Company breached LR

11.1.11R(1) by failing to aggregate all three of the Admitted RPTs.

Admitted RPTs and Sponsor Review Transactions

Failure to obtain the guidance of a Sponsor - LR 8.2.3R

5.16. The Company breached LR 8.2.3R in that, when proposing to enter into the

Admitted RPTs and the Sponsor Review Transactions, it failed to obtain the

guidance of a Sponsor in order to assess the application of the LRs and the DTRs.

5.17. In the case of the Admitted RPTs and the Sponsor Review Transactions, the

Company did not carry out any analysis at the time the transactions were

proposed to determine their status as RPTs. Moreover, the Company had

sufficient uncertainty as to whether these transactions amounted to RPTs such

that it provided the Schedule, containing 33 transactions out of many, to its

financial advisers in order to determine retrospectively whether these transactions

were RPTs. As it transpired, three of the transactions on the Schedule were, in

fact, identified as RPTs (the Admitted RPTs) whereas the remainder were

concluded not to be RPTs (the Sponsor Review Transactions). However, as LR

8.2.3R states that a Company must obtain the guidance of a Sponsor when it

proposes to enter into any transaction which is or may be an RPT, the Authority

considers that the Company breached LR 8.2.3R in respect of both the Admitted

RPTs and the Sponsor Review Transactions, notwithstanding that the Company

ultimately concluded that the Sponsor Review Transactions were not RPTs.

5.18. The Authority has acknowledged the different impact of the Sponsor Review

Transactions compared to that of the Admitted RPTs and, in light of all the

circumstances of this case, has not included the Sponsor Review Transactions as

the basis for calculation of the penalty; rather it has considered them to represent

a factor going to the seriousness of the Company's failings.

5.19. The Sponsor regime is a cornerstone of the UK listing regime. Sponsors provide

listed companies with specific expertise, assist them in meeting their obligations

under the listing regime, and helping ensure high standards of due diligence for

premium listed companies. The UK listing regime has a number of features within

it designed to protect investors and the requirement to consult a Sponsor ensures

that all relevant rules are correctly applied. The RPT rules play an important

investor protection role. As such, where a Sponsor is not consulted, there is a risk

that any subsequent shareholder protections are also not provided. This is

precisely what happened in relation to the Admitted RPTs.

Breaches of Disclosure and Transparency Rules

5.20. The Company breached DTR 4.1.3R by failing to publish its AFR 2012 at the latest

four months after the end of the financial year. In the event, the Company

published its AFR 2012 on 31 May 2013.

6.
SANCTION

6.1.
The Authority's policy for imposing a financial penalty is set out in Chapter 6 of

the Decision Procedures and Penalties Manual ("DEPP"), which is part of the

Authority's Handbook. In determining the penalty to be imposed on the Company,

the Authority has had regard to Chapter 6 of DEPP as it applied during the

Relevant Period.

6.2.
The principal purpose of imposing a financial penalty is to promote high standards

of regulatory conduct by deterring firms who have breached regulatory

requirements from committing further breaches and demonstrating to firms the

benefit of compliant behaviour (DEPP 6.1.2G).

6.3.
In respect of conduct occurring on or after 6 March 2010, the Authority applies a

five step framework to determine the appropriate level of financial penalty. DEPP

6.5A sets out the details of the five step framework that applies in respect of

financial penalties imposed on firms.

6.4.
The Authority considers that the breaches of LP2, LR 11.1.11R, LR 11.1.10R, LR

8.2.3R and DTR 4.1.3R occurring during the Relevant Period arise from a single

course of conduct by the Company. In the particular circumstances of this case,

the Authority has concluded that it is appropriate to impose a combined penalty in

respect of these breaches.

Step 1: Disgorgement

6.5.
Pursuant to DEPP 6.5A.1G, at Step 1 the Authority seeks to deprive a firm of the

financial benefit derived directly from the breach. In this case, the Company did

not derive any financial benefit from the breaches.

6.6.
The Step 1 figure is £0.

Step 2: the Seriousness of the Breach

Appropriate indicator of the seriousness of the breach

6.7.
Pursuant to DEPP 6.5A.2G, at Step 2 the Authority determines a figure that

reflects the seriousness of the breach. Where the amount of revenue generated

by a firm from a particular product line or business area is indicative of the harm

or potential harm that the breach may cause, that figure will be based on a

percentage of the firm's revenue from the relevant products or business area.

6.8.
However, in this case, the Authority considers that the revenue generated by the

Company is not an appropriate indicator as the Company's revenue stream did

not benefit from the transactions in question. Accordingly, the Authority has

determined to use the value of the Admitted RPTs as the relevant indicator. The

value of the Admitted RPTs is US$12,700,000 or £8,054,111.

Scale

6.9.
In cases where revenue is not the appropriate indicator of the harm or potential

harm of the firm's breach, DEPP 6.5A.2G (13) allows the Authority to adopt a

scale other than the 0-20% scale prescribed in DEPP 6.5A.2G (3).

6.10. The Authority considers that in using the Admitted RPTs as the relevant indicator,

it is not appropriate to use a 0-20% penalty range considering the Admitted RPTs

are the impugned transactions. Accordingly, the Authority has used a 0-100%

range to ensure the penalty properly reflects the seriousness of the breach.

Level of Seriousness

6.11. The Authority has determined that the breach is a Level 4 breach (75% of the

value of the Admitted RPTs) for the following reasons.

(1)
The Company's breaches include a breach of LP 2, as well as a range of

specific LR and DTR breaches.

(2)
The Company's breaches revealed serious and systemic weaknesses in the

procedures and internal controls relating to the Company's business.

(3)
The Company did not identify the breaches through its own monitoring but

was prompted to review its internal position after allegations of financial

irregularities were brought to its attention by an external source.

(4)
Even after an extended internal review, at the point the Company notified

the Authority of the breaches, it was still unable to confirm that all RPTs had

been
identified
and
it
was
not
able
to
confirm
the
ultimate

beneficiaries/counterparties to the Other Transactions including for the

purpose of performing a related party analysis.

(5)
The behaviour constituting the breaches involved a significant departure

from the standards expected of premium-listed companies.

(6)
The Company should have been aware that, following the acquisition of its

interests in Indonesia, there was an increased risk of the occurrence of RPTs

but failed adequately to mitigate that risk.

(7)
The Company breached LR 8.2.3R in the context of the Admitted RPTs but

also in respect of the Sponsor Review Transactions.

(8)
The Company's inadequate systems and controls may have contributed to

its inability to identify, prevent and take action earlier in respect of the

Other Transactions.

(9)
The Company's failure to publish its AFR 2012 within the four month

timeframe prescribed by the DTRs gave rise to a risk that investors might

make decisions based on incomplete information. Further, it resulted in the

shares of the Company being suspended from trading for three months

which, in turn, gave rise to the risk of an adverse effect on the orderliness

of and confidence in the main market.

6.12. Therefore, the Step 2 figure is 75% of £8,054,111 which is £6,040,583.

Step 3: Mitigating and Aggravating factors

6.13. Pursuant to DEPP 6.5A.3G, at Step 3 the Authority may increase or decrease the

amount of the financial penalty arrived at after Step 2 by a percentage to take

into account mitigating or aggravating factors.

6.14. The Authority considers that the following factor aggravates the breach.

(1)
The Authority published a Final Notice in relation to Exillon dated 26 April

2012, which highlighted relevant concerns in relation to RPTs. Whilst the

Company was aware of this Final Notice and took steps to improve its RPT

procedures, the Authority considers that these were not carried out

sufficiently quickly and effectively in response to the concerns set out in the

6.15. The Authority acknowledges that the Company has co-operated fully with the

investigation and has taken the remedial steps set out above at paragraph 4.57.

The Authority however does not consider these steps constitute mitigating factors

for the purposes of calculation of the penalty.

6.16. Having taken into account this aggravating factor, the Authority considers that an

upward adjustment of 10% should be made to the penalty figure at Step 2.

6.17. The Step 3 figure is therefore £6,644,641.

Step 4: Adjustment for Deterrence

6.18. Pursuant to DEPP 6.5A.4G, if the Authority considers that the figure arrived at

after Step 3 is insufficient to deter the firm which committed the breach, or

others, from committing further or similar breaches, then the Authority may

increase the penalty.

6.19. The Authority considers that the Step 3 figure of £6,644,641 represents a

sufficient deterrent to the Company and others, and so has not increased the

penalty at Step 4.

6.20. The Step 4 figure is therefore £6,644,641.

Step 5: Settlement Discount

6.21. Pursuant to DEPP 6.5A.5G, if the Authority and the firm on whom a penalty is to

be imposed agree the amount of the financial penalty and other terms, DEPP 6.7

provides that the amount of the financial penalty which might otherwise have

been payable will be reduced to reflect the stage at which the Authority and the

firm reached agreement.

6.22. The Authority and the Company reached agreement at Stage 1 and so a 30%

discount applies to the Step 4 figure, reducing it to £4,651,200 (rounded down to

the nearest £100).

6.23. The Step 5 figure is £4,651,200.

7.
PROCEDURAL MATTERS

Decision maker

7.1.
The decision which gave rise to the obligation to give this Notice was made by the

Settlement Decision Makers.

7.2.
This Final Notice is given under, and in accordance with, section 390 of the Act.

Manner of and time for Payment

7.3.
The financial penalty must be paid in full by Asia Resource Minerals plc to the

Authority by no later than 26 June 2015, 14 days from the date of the Final

Notice.

If the financial penalty is not paid

7.4.
If all or any of the financial penalty is outstanding on 27 June 2015, the Authority

may recover the outstanding amount as a debt owed by Asia Resource Minerals

plc and due to the Authority.

7.5.
Sections 391(4), 391(6) and 391(7) of the Act apply to the publication of

information about the matter to which this notice relates. Under those

provisions, the Authority must publish such information about the matter to which

this notice relates as the Authority considers appropriate. The information may

be published in such manner as the Authority considers appropriate. However,

the Authority may not publish information if such publication would, in the opinion

of the Authority, be unfair to you or prejudicial to the interests of consumers or

detrimental to the stability of the UK financial system.

7.6.
The Authority intends to publish such information about the matter to which this

Final Notice relates as it considers appropriate.

Authority contacts

7.7.
For more information concerning this matter generally, contact Evan Benge

(direct line: 020 7066 1660) or Fiona Paddon (direct line: 0207 066 1116) of the

Enforcement and Market Oversight Division of the Authority.

Financial Conduct Authority, Enforcement and Market Oversight Division

Relevant Statutory and regulatory provisions as at 28 June 2011

Transactions where a Sponsor's guidance is sought

1.1
LR 8.2.3R22 states that:

If a listed company is proposing to enter into a transaction which is, or may be, a

related party transaction it must obtain the guidance of a sponsor in order to

assess the application of the listing rules and disclosure rules and transparency

rules.

1.2
LR 11.1.3R states that:

"A reference in this chapter:

(1)
to a transaction or arrangement by a listed company includes a transaction

or arrangement by its subsidiary undertaking; and

(2)
to a transaction or arrangement is, unless the contrary intention appears,

a reference to the entering into of the agreement for the transaction or the

entering into of the arrangement."

1.3
LR 11.1.4R defines a related party as:

(1)
a person who is (or was within the 12 months before the date of the

transaction or arrangement) a substantial shareholder; or

(2)
a person who is (or was within the 12 months before the date of the

transaction or arrangement) a director or shadow director of the listed

company or of any other company which is (and, if he has ceased to be

such, was while he was a director or shadow director of such other

company) its subsidiary undertaking or parent undertaking or a fellow

subsidiary undertaking of its parent undertaking; or

2 This rule was amended on 31/12/12 as follows: "If a listed company" was amended to "If a company with a
premium listing".

(4)
a person exercising significant influence; or

(5)
an associate of a related party referred to in paragraph (1), (2) or (4).

1.4
LR 11.1.5R33 defines a related party transaction as:

(1)
a transaction (other than a transaction of a revenue nature in the ordinary

course of business) between a listed company and a related party; or

(2)
an arrangement pursuant to which a listed company and a related party

each invests in, or provides finance to, another undertaking or asset; or

(3)
any other similar transaction or arrangement (other than a transaction of

a revenue nature in the ordinary course of business) between a listed

company and any other person the purpose and effect of which is to

benefit a related party.

1.5
LR 11.1.10R4 states that:

(1)
This rule applies to a related party transaction if each of the percentage

ratios is less than 5%, but one or more of the percentage ratios exceeds

0.25%.

(2)
Where this rule applies, LR 11.1.7 R does not apply but instead the listed

company must before entering into the transaction or arrangement (as the

case may be):

(a)
inform the [Authority] in writing of the details of the proposed

transaction or arrangement;

(b)
provide the [Authority] with written confirmation from an

independent adviser acceptable to the FSA that the terms of the

proposed transaction or arrangement with the related party are fair

and reasonable as far as the shareholders of the listed company are

concerned; and

3 11.1.5R (1) and (3) was amended on 31/12/12 as follows: the words "of a revenue nature" were deleted.
4 LR 11.1.10R(2)(b) was amended on 31/12/2012 as follows: "an independent adviser acceptable to the FSA"
was amended to "a sponsor".

(c)
undertake in writing to the [Authority] to include details of the

transaction or arrangement in the listed company's next published

annual accounts, including, if relevant, the identity of the related

party, the value of the consideration for the transaction or

arrangement and all other relevant circumstances.

1.6
LR 11.1.11R states that:

(1)
If a listed company enters into transactions or arrangements with the

same related party (and any of its associates) in any 12 month period and

the transactions or arrangements have not been approved by shareholders

the transactions or arrangements must be aggregated.5

(2)
If any percentage ratio is 5% or more for the aggregated transactions or

arrangements, the listed company must comply with LR 11.1.7 R in

respect of the latest transaction or arrangement.

Note: LR 13.6.1R (8) requires details of each of the transactions or arrangements

being aggregated to be included in the circular.

(3)
If transactions or arrangements that are small transactions under LR 11

Annex 1 paragraph 1 are aggregated under paragraph (1) of this rule and

for the aggregated small transactions each of the percentage ratios is less

than 5%, but one or more of the percentage ratios exceeds 0.25%, the

listed company must comply with:

(a)
LR 11.1.10R (2)(b) in respect of the latest small transaction; and

(b)
LR 11.1.10R (2)(a) and LR 11.1.10R (2)(c) in respect of the

aggregated small transactions

The Class Tests

1.7
LR Chapter 10 provides a framework for calculating the significance of

transactions entered into by listed companies. A transaction is classified by

5 LR11.1.11R (1) was amended on 01/10/12 as follows: If a listed company enters into transactions or
arrangements with the same related party (and any of its associates) in any 12 month period and the
transactions or arrangements have not been approved by shareholders the transactions or arrangements,
including transactions or arrangements falling under LR 11.1.10 R, or small related party transactions under LR
11 Annex 1.1R (1), must be aggregated.

assessing its size relative to that of the listed company proposing to make it. The

comparison of size is made by using the percentage ratios result from applying

the Class Test calculations to the transaction. The Class Tests are set out in LR 10

Annex 1.

Disclosure and Transparency Rules

1.8
DTR 4.1.3R states that:

An issuer must make public its annual financial report at the latest four months

after the end of each financial year.

The Listing Principles

1.9
Listing Principle 2 states that:

A listed company must take reasonable steps to establish and maintain adequate

procedures, systems and controls to enable it to comply with its obligations.

Guidance on Principle 2

1.10
LR 7.2.2G states that:

Principle 2 is intended to ensure that listed companies have adequate procedures,

systems and controls to enable them to comply with their obligations under the

listing rules and disclosure rules and transparency rules. In particular, the

[Authority] considers that listed companies should place particular emphasis on

ensuring that they have adequate procedures, systems and controls in relation

(1)
identifying whether any obligations arise under LR 10 (Significant

transactions) and LR 11 (Related party transactions); and

(2)
the timely and accurate disclosure of information to the market.

Page 38 of 38


Section 91 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 provides that if the Authority

considers that an issuer of securities has contravened any provision of the LRs, it may

impose a penalty of such amount as it considers appropriate.


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