Protecting Companies, Directors,
Senior Officers and Employees
Written by Glenn Hamel‘Smith and Melissa Inglefield
in the Act for any information disclosed by
Connected person in the necessary course
business",
large accounting firm in Trinidad
‘ob is one of many employees in a
ib innocentiy decides
Breaching such restrictions constitutes at
shares
‘publicly listed compar
Seer fe on summary cor
000,000 and to ingabn
Connected persons ard companies
lating a merger | the stock exchange aso have certain report
between BigCompanyX and a third-party
entity. Within days, the merger i
announced and BigCompanyx's st
shoots up. The next thing Bob kn‘
that he is the subject of an invest
However, the defences and exceptions do
ot provide @ safe haven in which connected
parties are able to trade without any risk of
breaching the lan.
Allegations of market
‘conduct are a
provisions seek to regulate.
INSIDER TRADING ' connected person may
RESTRICTIONS ie was not in pos
Under the Securities Ac, connected persons} of material non-public information at te
that (she cared out a trede,
REDUCING THE RISK
Ifyou area connected person to a reporting
the obvious recommendation to ens
W avoid breaching te restrictions in the
‘Acts both not to trade when in possession
‘of material non-public irformation and not
ron-public
information tats not inthe public domainINSIDER TRADING (continued)
you take into account that mést senior officers
majority shareholders and other persons it
2 position of trust
Connected persons and
public companies and
their affiliated companies
should ensure that due
{which may not yet be inthe public dom
F or example, a pt
regulatory matter. Legal
advice should also be
sought to ensure that the
necessary policies and
controls are introduced
and implemented to
reduce the risk of
jing the subject of an
‘nother mechanism thet may be
considered by public companies
‘ware ofthe up to date financial results of the
ccampany. When, then, can such 2 perso
trade?
In ight of the difeuity that cirectors and
} polices and procedures may be targeted
towards:
+ Identifying persons
ishment ofa tracing plan by acomected
rd cross badteeniy esting ie
stent objectives, his or her appetite for
isk, and certain parameters within which the
broker may trade. in instances where one of
the objectives ofthe pln is to mitigate the ri
30 serior officers and employees
repercing the cme of nsder trading and
‘oping oF,
Implementing preau
jon oF post-
‘trades by senior aflers and emph
ing trading windows or b
‘during which senior office
‘Where the regulator can demonstrate in either
case that the chenge was made or the trade
, merely implementing 2 policy
ie above matters would not be
public company must be sure
and exercise careful discretion when dealing
the stock market with the shares of companies
‘to which they are conrected,LEARNING FROM BOB
$0 what about 805? Bob Is clearly 2
connected person to BigcompanyX ash
ng fim providing
ial services to BigCompanyX, AS to
Meer on
a useful means of
ensuring that your
investment portfolio
One te
without)the risk of
1e may be exposed to the
discomfort of being the subject of such an
companies and. their
should ensure that due cares pai
regulatory matter Legal advice
Prot Alce Deon