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 Kingdom Holding Buys $400 Million Stake in xAI

xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Buys $400 Million Stake in xAI

xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) said on Wednesday it has acquired a key stake in xAI Corporation, an artificial intelligence company founded by US billionaire Elon Musk for 1.5 billion Saudi Riyals ($400 million), becoming the second largest investor in X and xAI.

The acquisition of the new stake is part of xAI’s Series C funding round, said KHC in its filing to Saudi bourse Tadawul.

This transaction follows KHC's previous investment at the same value in xAI during its Series B funding round.

It further solidifies KHC's strategic partnership with Elon Musk, and follows its strategic stake in X (Twitter), held since 2015, KHC stated.

A post on X said Prince Alwaleed bin Talal became the second largest shareholders in Musk’s two companies, X & xAI.

In November 2022, the Saudi prince moved almost 35 million Twitter shares through the Kingdom Holding Company, worth about $1.9 billion at the $54.20 per share sale price. That made him the “second-largest investor” in the new parent company.
Funding Rounds

The funding rounds consist of several fundraising events in which startups or existing companies raise funds from investors to continue building their infrastructure and accelerate research and development.

The rounds start with a “seed round” of funding where a startup typically raises money from the owners to cover initial operating expenses and then expand to Series A, B, and C funding rounds as the company develops to raise additional capital.

In terms of risks, Series B funding is generally less risky than Series A funding, while Series C is less risky than Series B and is typically used by companies that are growing rapidly and need additional capital to fund their expansion.

Musk's xAI Series C funding round included the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the Oman Investment Authority (OIA).

Participants included Morgan Stanley and BlackRock, which were described as two of the major investors in the fundraising round.

KHC, in which Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns a 17% stake, said xAI has a $45 billion valuation with the latest funding round, indicating a significant increase from its $25 billion valuation during the Series B funding round, the filing showed.

Following the announcement of the acquisition, the shares of KHC, listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, rose by 0.44% to 9.16 riyals.

xAI’s strategy focuses on developing leading AI models and working closely with other technology companies associated with its founder, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X, whose application has over 500 million users.

KHC said this transaction further solidifies KHC's strategic partnership with Elon Musk, and follows its strategic stake in X (Twitter), held since 2015.

It forms part of KHC’s business model of securing early stakes in emerging technologies and its ambition to lead and innovate within the AI industry, it added.