Ex-Goldman Sachs UK Analyst Jailed for Insider Dealing after London Trial

Mohammed Zina, 35, was employed by Goldman Sachs International in its conflicts resolution group in London. - Reuters
Mohammed Zina, 35, was employed by Goldman Sachs International in its conflicts resolution group in London. - Reuters
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Ex-Goldman Sachs UK Analyst Jailed for Insider Dealing after London Trial

Mohammed Zina, 35, was employed by Goldman Sachs International in its conflicts resolution group in London. - Reuters
Mohammed Zina, 35, was employed by Goldman Sachs International in its conflicts resolution group in London. - Reuters

A former Goldman Sachs analyst was on Friday jailed for 22 months after he was convicted in a London court of using inside information to buy shares in listed companies and make more than 140,000 pounds ($175,650).

Mohammed Zina, 35, was employed by Goldman Sachs International in its conflicts resolution group in London.

Prosecutors said he used confidential information to buy shares in six companies between July 2016 and December 2017, including chip designer Arm Holdings with knowledge of SoftBank Group's impending $32 billion acquisition.

Zina would have made another 15,000 pounds, but he was arrested before he could sell his shares in snack maker Snyder's-Lance Inc, prosecutors said, Reuters reported.

He had pleaded not guilty to six offences of insider dealing and three counts of fraud for allegedly lying to Tesco Bank about the purpose of loans which were used to buy the shares.

But Zina was convicted of all nine charges on Thursday, following a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Judge Tony Baumgartner sentenced him to 22 months in prison, saying: "You betrayed the trust of your employer, as well as cheated honest investors in the shares you traded using inside information you saw at work.

"What you did strikes at the very heart of our financial markets and the trust and confidence the public places in them."

He added: "You have thrown away what was undoubtedly a promising career in banking, something that many young people dream of, and for the sake of easy gain."

The judge listed a further hearing in September to deal with the prosecution's application to confiscate the profits made by Zina.

A Goldman Sachs spokesperson said: "Mohammed Zina betrayed the trust we placed in him and his misuse of client information was in direct contradiction of our values. We have zero tolerance for this conduct."

Mohammed Zina's lawyer declined to comment following the sentence.

His brother Suhail Zina, formerly an associate at law firm Clifford Chance, had also stood trial but was cleared of all nine charges. Clifford Chance declined to comment.

Earlier on Friday, Zina's barrister Brendan Kelly told the court he was the most junior member of the conflicts resolution group and was arrested more than six years ago, so had been "enduring these proceedings" ever since.

"Both the stigma and the impact of both conviction and imprisonment will have a very significant effect on this relatively young man of exemplary character," Kelly said.

 

 

 

 

 



Saudi Arabia’s PMI Remains in Economic Expansion Zone

King Abdullah Financial Center in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
King Abdullah Financial Center in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia’s PMI Remains in Economic Expansion Zone

King Abdullah Financial Center in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
King Abdullah Financial Center in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The latest Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showed the Kingdom's PMI stabilized at 55, as a result of another strong improvement in business activity in the non-oil-producing private sector.
The analytical readings issued by the Ministry of Economy and Planning indicate that the index stayed above the fifty-point limit, remaining in the economic expansion zone.
Riyad Bank said on Wednesday that companies had increased their production levels to support sales and projects, despite additional evidence of declining demand expectations. Growth in new orders fell to its weakest level in nearly two and a half years.
Non-oil producing companies recorded the slowest increase in purchases of production inputs in nearly 3 years, as they are looking to ease recent increases in inventory, while job growth has also declined compared to May.
At the same time, other reports noted that customer discounts affected overall selling prices and ran counter to efforts to pass on the strong increase in input prices to customers.
Naif Al-Ghaith, chief economist at Riyad Bank, said: “The PMI for the non-oil economy recorded at 55.0 in June, marking the slowest pace of expansion since January 2022. The new orders component fell compared to the previous month, suggesting a slight moderation in demand growth.”
He added: “However, the growth in non-oil sectors was supported by a strong increase in output levels. Employment numbers also rose, while suppliers’ delivery times continued to improve.”
In an analytical bulletin, the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning explained that the production index recorded 61.1 points, supported by the improvement in commercial activity in the non-oil private sector, and that employment indicators continued to rise, driven by the increase in the number of employees and the stability of supply chains.
The Ministry indicated that the optimistic outlook of business owners and investors continued in light of the improvement in market conditions and the rise in demand for goods and services, which in turn reflects positively on the future outlook for the current year.