KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — Trading in the securities of Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd will be suspended with effect from August 28 and its shares will be de-listed on August 30.
In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, the oldest surviving Malay-language newspaper publisher said that it has failed to regularise its condition based on the Main Market listing requirements for failure to submit its regularisation plan to the Securities Commission or Bursa Securities for approval.
“The company’s securities will be de-listed unless an appeal against the de-listing is submitted to Bursa Securities on or before August 27,” it said.
Upon the de-listing, the publisher of Utusan Malaysia, Mingguan Malaysia, Kosmo!, and Kosmo! Ahad, will continue to exist but as an unlisted entity.
“Utusan is still able to continue its operations and business and proceed with its corporate restructuring and its shareholders can still be rewarded by the company’s performance.
“However, the shareholders will be holding shares which are no longer quoted and traded on Bursa Securities,” it said.
The company had fallen into the Practice Note 17 category last August as it defaulted on its principal and profit payments to Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd and Maybank Islamic Bhd totalling RM1.18 million.
At close, the media company’s share declined 36.36 per cent to 7 sen with 1.37 million shares traded, valuing the company at barely RM8 milion.
The oldest Malay daily recorded its shares’ highest price at RM7.66 on March 31, 2000 since it was first listed on the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1994.
However, the company took a downturn and slipped to red since 2012 as of June 30, 2019, Utusan’s accumulated losses stood at RM261.61 million. — Bernama
