KINGSTON SECURITIES LIMITED 金利豐證券有限公司

The ICAC is applying for confiscation of over HK$200m in crime proceeds. Mainland businessman Ma Zhonghong jumped bail in 2022 and a HK warrant for his arrest is outstanding.

The Restriction Notice, which was not gazetted until 4-Oct-2024, reveals that a current director of a main-board HK-listed company is suspected of misappropriating HK$9.3m between Feb-2019 and Mar-2022. If you know which company, tell us!

For hiding behind a nominee in a share placement of each company. In both cases the placing agent was Kingston Securities. Webb-site Who's Who shows that from 1994 to 2017, Mr Tse was a director of 11 HK-listed companies, the stocks of which returned a compound average annual loss of 29.87% during his tenure.

The two listed companies share 3 directors, 2 of whom are INEDs of both. Update: the Webb-site CCASS analysis system shows the stock moving from custody of Kingston Securities Ltd to Oshidori Securities Ltd on the settlement date.

"The prosecution said Ma turned himself in to the Immigration Department last September, admitting he was smuggled into Hong Kong by sea in June... On October 3, the ICAC went to his hotel when he failed to report his whereabouts, finding only the tracking device there. After checking surveillance camera footage, ICAC officers found Ma had left the hotel at 4am that day."

We explained the background to this case in our article of 21-Nov-2021.

The ex-legislator is once again facing criminal charges, this time with his son and others. We examine the past connections between the defendants and the connection between an alleged co-conspirator and one of the subscribers of convertible notes, who has not been charged.

We note from a 2017 circular that Mr Yeung traded numerous other shareholdings with GWBR in breach of Listing Rules, selling it shares in Kingston Financial (1031), Sincere Watch (0444) and Tech Pro Technology (3823) in 2015 and SingAsia (8293) in 2017, and buying shares in Beijing Enterprises Clean Energy (1250) in 2016 and Beijing Gas Blue Sky (6828) in 2017. He crossed the trades in the market using Kingston Securities for GWBR and on his side Enlighten Securities, Union Bancaire Privee and HSBC.

The SFC has frozen accounts at 3 brokerages up to HK$3.81bn, the amount raised by HHH in 2015 in an open offer ($3.19bn) and a CB ($0.62bn) issued to Huarong (2799) and CCB (0939). The SFC suspects false or misleading statements and misappropriation of part of the proceeds.

Webb-site has deduced that these are assets of Mr Yang Zhihui, missing Chairman and majority shareholder of Landing (0582), and that he is reasonably suspected of fraud causing losses of HK$10.17bn to China Huarong (2799), the ex-Chairman of which is under a corruption investigation in China. We also turn the spotlight on China Goldjoy (1282) which was an enthusiastic buyer of Landing at prices far higher than its Chairman paid beforehand.

Even after today's plunge, Kingston is trading at 13.2x net tangible assets of $0.508 per share, 70.8x trailing earnings, and is heavily dependent on low-cost loans from its majority shareholder. Don't bet on that continuing. We also look at the extent of its margin lending to controlling shareholders of large numbers of other listed companies.

Chuang's announced on 1-Sep-2017 that it is in talks to dispose of the stake.

This is interesting, because it appears from Webb-site CCASS Analysis that Rentian (0885) may have pledged its 38.71% controlling shareholding of Enterprise Dev to Taiping Securities in July this year, something that the announcement does not mention. For the sale, China Taiping would receive new shares and a convertible bond in Enterprise Dev. That raises the question of whether Rentian and China Taiping will be acting in concert to control Enterprise Dev.

An HKEX decision last week led us to discover an inflated acquisition that looks like a cash extraction exercise, possibly to cover an earlier outlay of "earnest money". A sudden surge in profits of the acquired consultancy coincides with a Chinese takeover of troubled soccer team A.C. Milan, or Rossonori, which prints more red ink than black, and a deeply-subordinated loan to its Chairman.

Webb-site CCASS Analysis shows that 203,854,292 shares (38.73%) of Enterprise Dev have moved from the custody of Kingston Securities Ltd to Taiping Securities (HK) Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China Taiping Insurance (0966). These shares are owned by Rentian (0885) which is controlled by Mr King Pak Fu.Such a move may indicate a pledging of the shares as security for a loan.

The stock has been suspended since 26-Mar-2015.

Pour yourself a coffee and digest this long article as we investigate several ongoing abusive "open offers" and placings as well as show you who's been making out in multi-billion-dollar bubbles. We call on regulators and rule-makers to take action.

This story is a leftover from a vote-rigging scheme in the attempted privatisation of PCCW in 2009. The 22 clients in Macau were among 175 Kingston clients who bought 1-3 board lots of PCCW shares, withdrew them from the clearing system, registered them in their own names and then voted in favour of the privatisation to boost the headcount.

"Immediate settlement was, as I understand it, concluded by an off-set of shares in [China Renji Medical] purchased by Kingston for other clients and deposited by Kingston in its account with CCASS" - if true, other clients will be delighted to know this.

There's a bubble in Thinsoft (8096), suspended with a market value of HK$1,604m and net assets of $33m. Over 95% of the company is in the custody of 2 brokers. We also discuss the archaic practice of parallel trading, which was to have been abolished in 2008. HKEx appears to have given up on that.

HKBLA (0145) has been a perennial cash shell. After 3 takeovers, its foundations now appear to be under threat as its cash pile gets depleted on dubious transactions, including investment in Byford and an "earnest deposit". It appears to have become part of a network which includes at least 9 other listed companies.

We examine the recent history of China Motion Telecom (0989), including two aborted acquisitions and a highly dilutive placing "for working capital" at a time when the company was flush with cash. Why did the board agree to that and where did the shares go? We also query the sustainability of margins in a recent acquisition from CMT's controlling shareholders.

We warn investors of a bubble in the stock of China Strategic, the 80% owner of the proposed buyer of Taiwan's Nan Shan Life Insurance, partly financed by a massive note issue convertible into 78bn shares at $0.10 each. We publish the placing list and analyse the names in the deal. Finally, we warn investors to avoid 7 companies in the "Chung Nam network", which has lost HK$6.2bn in 5 years.

In part 3 of a series, we look at the often calamitous IPOs produced by B M Intelligence and its conversion into China Bio-med Regeneration Technology, involving a huge mark-up on the acquisition. We also cover an international organisation run out of a cobbler's shop in Las Vegas, and the recent changes of ownership in CBRT, including a CPPC member who is a big fan of the PLA.

In part 2 of a series, we look at how HK$16bn of market cap evaporated when bubbles around China Railway Logistics, PME and Forefront burst. Each dealt with the same purported arm of the Ministry of Railways for joint ventures in wagon-leasing, media and online ticketing, each of which failed to get started. A miriad of BVI shells with shadowy owners are involved, but at least one has exposed himself in a court case.

Investors should beware of a bubble in Byford (8272), which boasts two celebrity shareholders - New World Development's Cheng Yu Tung and Angela Leong, a wife of casino tycoon Stanley Ho. Both apparently paid 186x net asset value for the shares.

Independent shareholders should vote against the open offer at the SGM on Thursday 4-Jun-09, and protect themsleves from 400% dilution.

In our view the judgment in the Court of First Instance on PCCW's scheme of arrangement and the alleged vote-rigging provides ample grounds for appeal. We look at the ruling in detail and where the SFC may be taking this case on Thursday at the Court of Appeal.

The company is acquiring, from Mr Guo Nan, 20% of Base Move, which will receive 0.4% of the Rolling Turnover generated by Hou Wan, the junket operator which services the Chengdu VIP Club in the Sands Macao casino, for HK$120m. The open offer is underwritten by Mr Cheung Chi Tai (via Jumbo Boom) for up to $124.4m, giving him up to 28.8% of Massive Resources. Mr Cheung is "a merchant in Hong Kong. The Company got acquainted with Jumbo Boom through Kingston Securities".

We issue a bubble warning on Hon Po Group (Lobster King) (0228), and dig into the background to its apparent transformation into the next big thing, coal mining in Inner Mongolia.

Company disagrees, says there has not been any material adverse change.