Regarding the conclusion of the audit review
by the financial authority and the Securities & Futures Commission
■ During the last 47 months, since Apr 2018, Celltrion Healthcare has sincerely participated in the audit review by the financial authority on its financial statements for the 10 fiscal years and faithfully explained its position on issues raised during this audit review. As the decisions announced by the Securities & Futures Commission (SFC) on Mar 11th, officially mark the finalization of this audit review, we believe these decisions eliminate a significant portion of the uncertainty about Celltrion Healthcare that has existed in the financial market for a long time. These decisions also clear up some of misunderstandings caused by differences in opinion between Celltrion Healthcare and the financial authority.
■ Nevertheless, it is unfortunate that SFC concluded that certain accounting entries made by Celltrion Healthcare was in violation of the GAAP. This conclusion was reached due to the differences in interpreting the appliance of certain accounting policies as well as lack of understanding on the complexity and unique characteristics of the transactions of the early biologics industry. However, Celltrion Healthcare respectfully accepts the decisions by the SFC and will focus on bolstering fundamentals of the company going forward.
■ In addition, the accounting practices that were viewed as violations were in relation to the timing difference of recognizing and bookkeeping certain past transactions, hence, having limited effect on our current financial statements.
■ Celltrion Healthcare will make an utmost effort to turn this into an opportunity to improve on the transparency of accounting practices, strengthen expertise of accounting personnel, and bolster Internal Controls over Financial Reporting. Also, we will concentrate on what we do best, and make strides to live up to the expectation of our investors and shareholders.