KUALA LUMPUR (March 23): Trive Property Group Bhd said its external auditor Jamal, Amin & Partners (JAP) had resigned following the Audit Oversight Board (AOB)’s sanction on the audit firm on March 17, 2021.

In a bourse filing, the group said the sanction prohibits the firm from accepting and auditing any public interest entity or schedule fund for 12 months pursuant to Section 31Z(2) of the Securities Commission Malaysia Act 1993.

“Save for the above, the board is not aware of any matters that need to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the company,” it said.

Trive said it will make a further announcement on the appointment of new auditors in due course.

On Dec 18 last year, JAP also resigned as the external auditor of DGB Asia Bhd, SMTrack Bhd as well as Inix Technologies Bhd on the same day, citing manpower issues, according to one of the filings made with the bourse.

Besides those three companies, there was a spate of auditor resignations throughout the latter half of December 2020, including PKF Malaysia’s voluntary resignation as the external auditor of Fintec Global, as well as STYL Associates PLT’s resignation as the auditor of G Capital Bhd.

Trive fell 0.5 sen or 4.4% to close at 11 sen today, giving a market capitalisation of RM115.83 million.