Price manipulation probe launches in Saudi

STOCK MANIPULATION: The Saudi stock market regulator has filed 92 law suites in relation to market violations. (Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia's bourse regulator is probing 92 cases of suspected violations including price manipulation and improper disclosure, the regulator's chief said in remarks published on Saturday.

"There are 92 cases in the phase of subpoenaing and interrogation," Okaz newspaper quoted Abdul Rahman Al Tuwaijri, chairman of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), as saying.

The cases are among 151 cases registered last year which involve suspected manipulation, misleading, and irregular disclosures and trading, he said.

"We have also filed lawsuit against violators ... But we cannot announce it until verdicts are pronounced," he added.

Like others in the Gulf region, Saudi Arabia's stock exchange has been tainted by allegations of insider trading and manipulation of stock prices, and CMA has slapped hefty fines on many investors and executives found guilty of manipulation.

Analysts say CMA needs to make adherence to corporate governance regulations compulsory for listed firms instead of voluntary in order to achieve greater progress in boosting transparency in the Arab world's largest stock market. (Reuters)

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