The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) levied $8.8 million in fines and administrative penalties in 2016, with the bulk related to violations in the securities sector, according to the regulator’s latest enforcement report, which was released on Wednesday.
Specifically, about $7.6 million of the $8.8 million in total monetary sanctions handed down involved securities or derivatives laws violations. Another $1 million stemmed from offences under Quebec’s Distribution Act, with the remainder coming in other actions. The regulator notes that one offender “chose to pay his fines with a prison term” and was sentenced to 729 days in prison.
Illegal distribution was the most common offence sanctioned in Quebec, followed by market manipulation and illegal insider trading. Looking ahead, illegal insider trading is a top enforcement priority for the AMF, the enforcement report says.
“In recent years, we have continued to improve our detection and investigation capabilities, mainly through new technologies, and our results have improved. We intend to pursue our efforts to contribute to further containing the impact of market abuse that only undermines investor confidence,” says Jean-François Fortin, executive director of enforcement at the AMF, in a statement.
Read: CSA reports decline in enforcement activity in 2016
“Our enhanced detection capabilities, resulting mainly from the refinement of our surveillance tools, as well as our ability to obtain stern sanctions that include prison terms, contribute to deterring individuals and firms from violating the laws that we administer,” adds Louis Morisset, president and CEO of the AMF.
In addition, the AMF reports that its new whistleblower program has so far received 49 tips about possible misconduct and that 28.6% of those have led to an investigation — even though the program doesn’t pay for tips.
“In light of the results to date,” Fortin says, “we are confident that our whistleblower program will enable us to detect more infractions, to intervene earlier and to minimize the consequences of infractions for victims.”