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Article 14-5
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For a company that has issued stock in accordance with this Act and established an audit committee, the provisions of Article 14-3 shall not apply to the following matters, which shall be subject to the consent of one-half or more of all audit committee members and be submitted to the board of directors for a resolution:
- Adoption or amendment of an internal control system pursuant to Article 14-1.
- Assessment of the effectiveness of the internal control system.
- Adoption or amendment, pursuant to Article 36-1, of handling procedures for financial or operational actions of material significance, such as acquisition or disposal of assets, derivatives trading, extension of monetary loans to others, or endorsements or guarantees for others.
- A matter bearing on the personal interest of a director.
- A material asset or derivatives transaction.
- A material monetary loan, endorsement, or provision of guarantee.
- The offering, issuance, or private placement of any equity-type securities.
- The hiring or dismissal of an attesting CPA, or the compensation given thereto.
- The appointment or discharge of a financial, accounting, or internal auditing officer.
- Annual financial reports, and second quarter financial reports that must be audited and attested by a CPA.
- Any other material matter so required by the company or the Competent Authority.
With the exception of subparagraph 10, any matter under a subparagraph of the preceding paragraph that has not been approved with the consent of one-half or more of all audit committee members may be undertaken upon the consent of two-thirds or more of all directors, without regard to the restrictions of the preceding paragraph, and the resolution of the audit committee shall be recorded in the minutes of the directors meeting.
A company that has established an audit committee is not subject to the provisions of Article 36-1 requiring that its financial reports be recognized by a supervisor.
"All audit committee members" as used in paragraph 1 and the preceding article's paragraph 6, and "all directors" as used in paragraph 2, shall mean the actual number of persons currently holding those positions.
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Article 28-2
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In any of the following situations, a company whose stocks are either listed on a stock exchange or traded on the over-the-counter market may, upon the approval of a majority of the directors present at a directors meeting attended by two-thirds or more of directors, buy back its shares from the centralized securities exchange market or over-the-counter market or in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 43-1, without being subject to the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 167 of the Company Act:
- Where the buyback is for transferring shares to its employees;
- Where the buyback is for equity conversion in coordination with the issuance of corporate bonds with warrants, preferred shares with warrants, convertible corporate bonds, convertible preferred shares, or share subscription warrants; or
- Where the buyback is required to maintain the company's credit and shareholders' rights and interests, and the shares so purchased are cancelled.
The number of shares bought back under the preceding paragraphs may not exceed ten percent of the total number of issued and outstanding shares of the company. The total amount of the shares bought back may not exceed the amount of retained earnings plus premium on capital stock plus realized capital reserve.
Regulations regarding the procedure, price, quantity, method, conversion method, and public announcement to be reported in connection with buyback of shares by a company in accordance with paragraph 1 above shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority
The shares bought back by a company in accordance with paragraph 1, except for the portion referred to in subparagraph 3 for which amendment registration shall be effected within six months from the date of buyback, shall be transferred within five years from the date of buyback. The shares not transferred within the said time limit shall be deemed as not issued by the company, and amendment registration shall be processed.
The shares bought back by a company in accordance with paragraph 1 shall not be pledged. Before transfer, the shareholder's rights shall not be enjoyed.
In the event that a company buys back shares from the centralized securities exchange market or over-the-counter market, the shares held by its affiliated enterprises defined under Article 369-1 of the Company Act or its directors, supervisors, managerial officers, or shareholders holding more than 10 percent of the company’s total shares, shall not be sold during the buyback period.
The resolution referred to in paragraph 1 and the implementation thereof shall be reported in the most recent shareholders meeting. This provision shall also apply if the shares are not bought back for any reason.
The shares held by persons prohibited from selling their shares as set out in paragraph 6 shall include shares held by their spouses and minor children and those held under the names of other parties.
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Article 39
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During its examination of the disclosed financial reports and other reference materials or reports of the issuer, or by its direct investigation of the financial and business conditions of the issuer, the Competent Authority may, if it finds that the issuer has failed to comply with an act or regulation, issue a corrective order prescribing a period in which to correct the non-compliance, or it may additionally impose penalties pursuant to this Act.
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Article 43-1
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Any person who acquires, either individually or jointly with other persons, more than ten percent of the total issued shares of a public company shall report such acquisition to the Competent Authority and make a public announcement; the same applies when there is any change in the specifics reported. Regulations governing the reporting of the number of shares acquired, the purpose and the sources of funds for the acquisition of the shares, changes to the specifics reported, public announcement, terms, and any other matters requiring compliance, shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
Any public tender offer to purchase the securities of a public company bypassing the centralized securities exchange market or the over-the-counter market may be conducted only after the offeror has reported to the Competent Authority, providing proof that it has the ability to perform payment of the tender offer consideration, and publicly announced the specific matters, except under the following circumstances:
- The number of securities proposed for public tender offer by the offeror plus the total number of securities of the public company already obtained by the offeror and its related parties do not exceed five percent of the total number of voting shares issued by the public company.
- The securities purchased by the offeror through the public tender offer are securities of a company of which the offeror holds more than 50 percent of the issued voting shares.
- Other circumstances in conformity with the regulations prescribed by the Competent Authority.
Any person who independently or jointly with another person(s) proposes to acquire a certain percentage of the total issued shares of a public company or of the beneficial securities of a real estate investment trust under the Real Estate Securitization Act shall make the acquisition by means of a public tender offer, unless certain conditions are satisfied.
Regulations governing the scope, conditions, period, related parties, and particulars for filing and public announcement in connection with purchases of securities pursuant to paragraph 2, and the "certain percentage" and "conditions" in connection with the acquisition of a certain percentage of the total issued shares of a public company under the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
Any person who will make a public tender offer to purchase the beneficial securities of a real estate investment trust under the Real Estate Securitization Act may conduct the public tender offer only after filing with the Competent Authority and making a public announcement. Regulations governing the scope, conditions, period, related parties, and particulars for filing and public announcement in connection with purchases of real estate securitization beneficial securities, and the "certain percentage" and "conditions" in connection with the acquisition of beneficial securities of a real estate investment trust under paragraph 3 shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
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Article 65
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Upon its examination of the business or financial conditions of a securities firm, should the Competent Authority find that there are matters not in compliance with the related regulations, the Competent Authority may at any time issue a corrective order, and require the securities firm to correct the non-compliance within a prescribed period.
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Article 66
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Where a securities firm has violated this Act or any order issued hereunder, in addition to being subject to the punishment provided under this Act, the Competent Authority may, depending on the severity of the offense, impose any of the following sanctions, and furthermore may order the securities firm to correct the violation within a prescribed period:
- warning.
- ordering the securities firm to remove its directors, supervisors, or managerial officers from their office.
- suspending the business, in whole or in part, of the company or its branch for a period of not more than six months.
- voiding or revoking the business license of the company or its branch.
- other necessary measures.
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Article 165-1
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When stock issued by a foreign company has been approved for the first time by the stock exchange or over-the-counter securities exchange for listed trading on the stock exchange or over-the-counter market or for registration as emerging stock, if the issuer’s stock is not traded on a foreign securities exchange, then, unless otherwise provided by the Competent Authority, the provisions of Articles 5 to 8, Articles 13 to 14-1, Article 14-2, paragraphs 1 to 4, and 6, Article 14-3, Article 14-4, paragraphs 1, 2, 5, and 6, Article 14-5, Article 14-6, Articles 19 to 21, Articles 22 to 25-1, Article 26-3, Article 27, Article 28-1, paragraphs 2 to 4, Article 28-2, Articles 28-4 to 32, Article 33, paragraphs 1, and 2, Articles 35 to 43-8, Article 61, Article 139, Articles 141 to 145, Article 147, Article 148, Article 150, and Articles 155 to 157-1 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the management and supervision of the public offering, issuance, private placement, and trading of the securities.
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Article 177-1
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A securities firm that violates the provisions of Article 74 or Article 84 shall be fined an amount not greater than the purchase price of the acquired securities. However, the fine imposed shall not be less than NT$240,000.
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Article 178
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A person who commits any of the following violations shall be punished with an administrative fine of not less than NT$240,000 and not more than NT$4.8 million, and the Competent Authority may order the person to correct the violation within a prescribed period; if the person fails to make the correction within the prescribed period, consecutive fines may be imposed:
- Violation of the provisions of Article 22-2, paragraph 1 or 2, Article 26-1, or Article 22-2, paragraph 1 or 2 as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1.
- Violation of the provisions of Article 14, paragraph 3, Article 14-1, paragraph 1 or 3, Article 14-2, paragraph 1, 3, or 6, Article 14-3, Article 14-5, paragraph 1 or 2, Article 21-1, paragraph 5, Article 25, paragraph 1, 2, or 4, Article 31, paragraph 1, Article 36, paragraph 5 or 7, Article 41, Article 43-1, paragraph 1, Article 43-4, paragraph 1, or Article 43-6, paragraphs 5 to 7; or Article 14, paragraph 3, Article 31, paragraph 1, Article 36, paragraph 5, or Article 43-4, paragraph 1 as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1 or 165-2; or Article 14-1, paragraph 1 or 3, Article 14-2, paragraph 1, 3 or 6, Article 14-3, Article 14-5, paragraph 1 or 2, Article 25, paragraph 1, 2, or 4, Article 36, paragraph 7, Article 41, Article 43-1, paragraph 1, Article 43-6, paragraphs 5 to 7, as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1.
- An issuer or public tender offeror or a related party thereof or a principal of a securities firm fails to submit account books, forms/statements, documents, or other reference or report materials within the time period specified in this Act or in an order issued by the Competent Authority pursuant to this Act, or any of the above parties evades, impedes, or refuses an examination carried out by the Competent Authority.
- If any issuer or public tender offeror fails to comply with relevant regulations in the preparation, submission, public announcement, maintenance, or storage of the account books, forms/statements, vouchers, financial reports or other relevant business documents as required by this Act, or as required by orders issued by the Competent Authority pursuant to this Act.
- Violation of Article 14-4, paragraph 1 or 2, or of Article 14-4, paragraph 1 or 2 as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1; or violation of the provisions of the regulations adopted pursuant to Article 14-4 paragraph 5, or adopted pursuant to that paragraph as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1, governing procedures, exercise of powers, or matters to be recorded in the meeting minutes.
- Violation of the forepart of Article 14-6, paragraph 1, or of the forepart of that paragraph as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1, by failing to establish a remuneration committee; or violation of the provisions of the regulations adopted pursuant to the latter part of Article 14-6 paragraph 1, or adopted pursuant to the latter part of that paragraph as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1, governing the qualifications for the members of the committee, its composition, procedures, exercise of powers, matters to be recorded in the meeting minutes, or public announcement and filing.
- Violation of the provisions of the regulations adopted pursuant to Article 25-1, or adopted pursuant to that article as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1, governing the qualifications of proxy solicitors, proxy agents, or those handling proxy solicitation matters, the methods of solicitation or acquisition of proxy forms, corporate compliance matters in connection with the convening of shareholder meetings, or refusal to comply with a requirement by the Competent Authority for provision of information.
- Violation of the shareholding percentage requirements of directors and supervisors of publicly issued companies prescribed by the Competent Authority in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 26, and provisions regarding notifications and auditing in the enforcement rules for auditing the shareholdings thereto.
- Violation of the provisions of Article 26-3, paragraph 1, 7, or the forepart of paragraph 8, or of Article 26-3, paragraph 1, 7, or the forepart of paragraph 8, as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1; or violation of the provisions of the regulations adopted pursuant to the latter part of paragraph 8 of Article 26-3, or adopted pursuant to the latter part of that paragraph as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1, governing the content of deliberations, procedures, matters to be recorded in the meeting minutes, or public announcement.
- Violation of the provisions of Article 28-2, paragraphs 2 or 4 to 7, or of Article 28-2, paragraphs 2 or 4 to 7 as applied mutatis mutandis under 165-1; or violation of the provisions of the regulations adopted pursuant to Article 28-2, paragraph 3, or adopted pursuant to that paragraph as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1, governing procedures, prices, volumes, methods, methods of transfer, or matters that must be filed and publicly announced in relation to repurchase of shares.
- Violation of the provisions of the regulations adopted pursuant to Article 36-1, or adopted pursuant to that article as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1, governing the scope, working procedures, required public announcements, or required filings for financial or operational actions of material significance, such as the acquisition or disposal of assets, engaging in derivatives trading, extension of monetary loans to others, endorsements or guarantees for others, or disclosure of financial projections.
- Violation of the provisions of Article 43-2, paragraph 1, Article 43-3, paragraph 1, or Article 43-5, paragraph 1; or of Article 43-2, paragraph 1, Article 43-3, paragraph 1, or Article 43-5, paragraph 1, as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1 or Article 165-2; or violation of the regulations adopted pursuant to Article 43-1, paragraphs 4 or 5, or adopted pursuant to Article 43-1, paragraph 4 as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 165-1 or Article 165-2, regarding the scope, conditions, period, related parties, or particulars for filing and public announcement in connection with purchases of securities.
When a foreign company is the issuer, any violation of subparagraphs 3 or 4 of the preceding paragraph by the foreign company shall be punished under the preceding paragraph.
The penalty for a violation punishable by an administrative fine under the preceding two paragraphs may be remitted, or the violator may be ordered to correct the violation within a prescribed time period and the penalty remitted once the violation has been corrected, if the violation is minor.
A reward shall be given for a report of a violation of Article 25-1 that leads to discovery of a violation. Regulations governing such reward shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
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Article 179
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Except as provided in Article 177-1 and in the preceding article, if a juristic person or a foreign company violates the provisions of this Act, the individual person responsible for the act will be punished under the articles of this chapter.
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