Skip links

Samhallsbyggnadsbolaget – Letter to E&Y regarding auditor and valuer conflicts, further issues

Author: Published on: Published in: Samhallsbyggnadsbolaget STO:SBB

Dear Mr. Novella

Samhällsbyggnadsbolaget i Norden – Audit Risks

We refer to Viceroy Research’s Samhällsbyggnadsbolaget i Norden AB (SBB) report dated February 21, 2022, and subsequent communications. We are contacting your due to concerns about audit risks at SBB. They involve:

Auditor Risk: SBB shares its immediate audit partner with its largest shareholder, and CEO’s personal investment company for at least the past 3 years.

    • We do not believe it is acceptable that the tender for one of Sweden’s largest Real Estate Investment Companies is optically tied to lucrative audit contracts of the CEO and majority shareholder’s private investment vehicles. These contracts have passed between audit partners simultaneously: Ingemar Rindstig and yourself.

Valuation Risk: SBB’s appointed valuer, Newsec, through appointed partner, Ulrika Lindmark, appear to hide longstanding personal connections and concurrent contracts for the Batljan family.

    • Both SBB’s and Ilija Baltjan’s investment vehicle’s registered business addresses are the Newsec Property Asset Management Office.
    • Public facebook pages show Ms. Lindmark appears to be a personal friend of the Batjan family. Ms. Lindmark also signs off SBB’s valuation, and Newsec is responsible for the valuations of Ilija Batljan’s investment vehicles and companies where Mr Baltjan’s wife serves as CEO.

Governance and internal control risk: SBB have provided strawman responses and relied on laughable technicalities to defer questions on nature of independence of its directors.

    • We address SBB’s responses and highlight further independence and control risks to SBB’s audit.
    • SBB & IB Invest appear to individually wholly own the property Vågskålen 24. This is concerning given Ingemar Rindstig was the auditor of both companies.

Systemic M&A round-tripping and revenue round-tripping are coordinated to effectively float SBB’s profits, balance sheet, and capital raises.

Audit weakness have allowed the issues above to occur without investors being informed and without comment or objection by yourselves. We hope that this letter will more clearly lay out the audit issues at SBB such that you can fulfil your responsibilities to stakeholders.

Yours faithfully,

Viceroy Research Group

LETTER DOWNLOAD LINK

SOME OF OUR RECENT WORK

Important Disclaimer – Please read and acknowledge before continuing

Viceroy Research LLC are an investigative financial research group registered in Delaware, USA.

Our research reports have been prepared for educational purposes only and expresses our opinions. Our reports and any statements made in connection with them are the authors’ opinions, which have been based upon publicly available facts, field research, information, and analysis through our due diligence process, and are not statements of fact. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice, and we do not undertake to update or supplement any reports or any of the information, analysis and opinion contained in them. We believe that the publication of our opinions about public companies that we research is in the public interest. We are entitled to our opinions and to the right to express such opinions in a public forum. You can access any information or evidence cited in this report or that we relied on to write this report from information in the public domain.

To the best of our ability and belief, all information contained herein is accurate and reliable, and has been obtained from public sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, and who are not insiders or connected persons of the stocks covered herein or who may otherwise owe any fiduciary duty or duty of confidentiality to the issuer. We have a good-faith belief in everything we write; however, all such information is presented “as is,” without warranty of any kind – whether express or implied.

In no event will we be liable for any direct or indirect trading losses caused by any information available on this report. Think critically about our opinions and do your own research and analysis before making any investment decisions. We are not registered as an investment advisor in any jurisdiction. By downloading, reading or otherwise using our research reports, you agree to do your own research and due diligence before making any investment decision with respect to securities discussed herein, and by doing so, you represent to us that you have sufficient investment sophistication to critically assess the information, analysis and opinions in this report. You should seek the advice of a security professional regarding your stock transactions.

This website, all documents contained herein or any information herein should not be interpreted as an offer, a solicitation of an offer, invitation, marketing of services or products, advertisement, inducement, or representation of any kind, nor as investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any investment products or to make any type of investment, or as an opinion on the merits or otherwise of any particular investment or investment strategy.

Any examples or interpretations of investments and investment strategies or trade ideas are intended for illustrative and educational purposes only and are not indicative of the historical or future performance or the chances of success of any particular investment and/or strategy.

You should assume that the authors have a direct or indirect interest/position in all stocks (and/or options, swaps, and other derivative securities related to the stock) and bonds covered herein, and therefore stand to realize monetary gains in the event that the price of either declines.

The authors may continue transacting directly and/or indirectly in the securities of issuers covered herein for an indefinite period and may be long, short, or neutral at any time hereafter regardless of their initial recommendation.