Serba Dinamik shareholder withdraws EGM notice

In an announcement to Bursa Malaysia, Serba Dinamik said the board yesterday received a notice dated June 2 from Datuk Abdul Kadier Sahib requesting for the EGM notice to be withdrawn.

KUALA LUMPUR: A notice to convene an EGM to remove KPMG as auditor has been withdrawn by a major shareholder of Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd, as two of the top five shareholders in Serba Dinamik said they were concerned by developments at the Malaysian oil and gas services group, which is under investigation by the country’s securities regulator.

In an announcement to Bursa Malaysia, Serba Dinamik said the board yesterday received a notice dated June 2 from Datuk Abdul Kadier Sahib requesting for the EGM notice to be withdrawn.

“The board has accepted the withdrawal notice and in view of the above development, the above matter is now considered closed, ” the company said.

Serba Dinamik last week said that its auditor KPMG had not been able to verify contracts and transactions totalling RM3.5bil with 11 customers.

Serba Dinamik rejected the auditor’s concerns and said there were no issues with the contracts. It plans to appoint an independent firm to review the issues, while the country’s securities regulator has opened an investigation.

“PNB has informed the Serba Dinamik board of directors of the firm’s deep concern about recent developments, ” PNB said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters. PNB is Malaysia’s largest fund manager.

Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) told Reuters they were engaging with the company. They are Serba Dinamik’s fifth and third-biggest shareholders respectively, based on Refinitiv data.

“PNB has informed the Serba Dinamik board of directors of the firm’s deep concern about recent developments, ” PNB said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters. PNB is Malaysia’s largest fund manager.

PNB also said there was no merit in removing the appointed auditor before the annual audit is finished, and said it reserved its right to vote against any resolution to replace the current auditor.

Meanwhile, EPF said it wanted to ensure “the highest level of transparency and corporate governance” at companies it invests in.

KPMG, in its first public comments on the matter, told Reuters it remained in communication with Serba Dinamik but declined to comment further, citing ongoing investigations and client confidentiality.

Shares of serba Dinamik have lost about 49% of their value so far this week. They closed down 1.2% on Wednesday, their third straight day of losses. — Reuters