Audit committees
201B.—(1)  Every listed company shall have an audit committee.
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(2)  An audit committee shall be appointed by the directors from among their number (pursuant to a resolution of the board of directors) and shall be composed of 3 or more members of whom a majority shall not be —
(a)executive directors of the company or any related corporation;
(b)a spouse, parent, brother, sister, son or adopted son or daughter or adopted daughter of an executive director of the company or of any related corporation; or
(c)any person having a relationship which, in the opinion of the board of directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the functions of an audit committee.
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(3)  The members of an audit committee shall elect a chairman from among their number who is not an executive director or employee of the company or any related corporation.
(4)  If a member of an audit committee resigns, dies or for any other reason ceases to be a member with the result that the number of members is reduced below 3, the board of directors shall, within 3 months of that event, appoint such number of new members as may be required to make up the minimum number of 3 members.
(5)  The functions of an audit committee shall be —
(a)to review —
(i)with the auditor, the audit plan;
(ii)with the auditor, his evaluation of the system of internal accounting controls;
(iii)with the auditor, his audit report;
(iv)the assistance given by the company’s officers to the auditor;
(v)the scope and results of the internal audit procedures; and
(vi)the balance-sheet and profit and loss account of the company and, if it is a holding company, the consolidated balance-sheet and profit and loss account, submitted to it by the company or the holding company, and thereafter to submit them to the directors of the company or the holding company; and
(b)to nominate a person or persons as auditor, notwithstanding anything contained in the articles or under section 205,
together with such other functions as may be agreed to by the audit committee and the board of directors.
(6)  The auditor has the right to appear and be heard at any meeting of the audit committee and shall appear before the committee when required to do so by the committee.
(7)  Upon the request of the auditor, the chairman of the audit committee shall convene a meeting of the committee to consider any matters the auditor believes should be brought to the attention of the directors or shareholders.
(8)  Each audit committee may regulate its own procedure and in particular the calling of meetings, the notice to be given of such meetings, the voting and proceedings thereat, the keeping of minutes and the custody, production and inspection of such minutes.
(9)  Where the directors of a company or of a holding company are required to make a report under section 201(5) or section 201(6A) and the company is a listed company, the directors shall describe in the report the nature and extent of the functions performed by the audit committee pursuant to subsection (5).
(10)  In this section, “listed company” means a company that is incorporated in Singapore and has been admitted to the official list of a securities exchange in Singapore and has not been removed from the official list.
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(11)  Any reference in this section to a director who is not an executive director of a company is a reference to a director who is not an employee of, and does not hold any other office of profit in, the company or in any related corporation of that company in conjunction with his office of director and his membership of any audit committee, and any reference to an executive director shall be read accordingly.
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