Hong Kong’s government has announced a bill to boost oversight of auditors of listed companies after a string of incidents last year in which some saw their share prices fall as much as 94 per cent in a single day.

香港政府宣布了一项加强对上市公司审计机构进行监管的法案。去年，香港发生了一连串事件，有些公司的股价在单个交易日内暴跌了94%之多。

Secretary for financial services James Lau said in a statement that the bill would make Hong Kong’s Financial Reporting Council independent from the audit profession to provide better protection to investors.

香港财经事务及库务局局长刘怡翔在一份声明中表示，该法案将让香港的财务汇报局(FRC)从审计行业中独立出来，为投资人提供更好的保护。

“This is crucial to strengthening Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and capital market,” Mr Lau said, adding that the reforms would bring Hong Kong in line with international standards and practices and make it eligible to join the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators.

刘怡翔说，“这对于加强香港的国际金融中心和资本市场地位而言是至关重要的。”他接着说，这项改革将使香港向国际标准和惯例看齐，让香港符合独立审计监管机构国际论坛(IFIAR)的成员资格。

If the bill is passed the FRC will gain the power to inspect, investigate and discipline auditors of listed companies.

如果该法案获通过，财务汇报局将取得对上市公司审计机构进行检查、调查和处罚的权力。

Those new powers would follow a year that saw multiple stock price collapses in Hong Kong, including those among a group of 50 companies in the so-called Enigma network. Almost half of said group of small-cap companies with cross shareholdings in each other saw their share prices plunge on one day in June, wiping out $6bn in market capitalisation.

去年，香港股市有多只股票发生价格崩盘，包括所谓“谜之网络”(Enigma Network)的50只港股中的一些股票。去年6月，交叉持股的上述50只小盘股中的近一半在一天内暴跌，市值蒸发了60亿美元。

Hong Kong authorities arrested senior executives at three listed companies in December, two of which belonged to the Enigma network.

去年12月，香港当局逮捕了3家上市公司的高管，其中两家公司属于“谜之网络”。