Indonesia Stock Exchange Lifts Suspension Trading Activity of Danareksa, Reliance & Millenium
Trading activity of three brokerages - Danareksa Sekuritas, Reliance Securities, and Millenium Danatama Sekuritas - have been reactivated by the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Thursday (12/11). One day earlier, these brokers' trading activity had been suspended on claims that the firms are involved in fictitious trading, worth around IDR 350 billion (approx. USD $26 million), related to shares of publicly-listed coal mining firm Sekawan Intipratama. Allegedly, the three brokers have manipulated the miner's shares.
The investigation, which is currently still ongoing, focuses on the credibility of the brokerages' adjusted net working capital, their internal risk management and control, as well as customer knowledge related to the shares of Sekawan Intipratama. Recently, the value of these shares plunged by 64 percent in a two-week period (resulting in a suspension of trading in the miner's shares on 2 and - again - on 9 November 2015).
Danareksa Sekuritas is one of the largest brokerage firms in Indonesia and therefore the temporary suspension was felt by many investors. The broker has some 30,000 retail investors (individual investors), as well as institutions, hedge funds, insurance firms, and investment firms as clients. Meanwhile, Reliance Securities has approximately 20,000 individual investors on board (4,000 of which are categorized as active investors). In Indonesian media the latter denied it has been involved in fictitious trading and is seeking legal counsel regarding the matter.
According to statements released on the official website of the Indonesia Stock Exchange today, trading activity of the three brokerage firms have been reactivated (per Thursday 12/11) as they "made improvements to those matters that were the basis for the imposition of sanctions."