Core Viewpoint - The regulatory penalties against Yili Clean Energy highlight the severe consequences of financial fraud and the responsibilities of independent directors in corporate governance [1][2][3] Group 1: Regulatory Actions and Penalties - Yili Clean Energy received an administrative penalty notice revealing long-term financial fraud, fund occupation, and illegal guarantees [1][2] - The total penalty for Yili Clean Energy amounts to 210 million yuan, with additional fines for related parties, including 30 million yuan for Yili Resources Group and 30 million yuan for the chairman [2] - Independent directors faced fines ranging from 50,000 to 3.5 million yuan, reflecting their varying degrees of involvement in the fraudulent activities [2] Group 2: Independent Directors' Responsibilities - Independent directors signed blank documents and failed to fulfill their duties, leading to significant financial penalties [1][3] - The case illustrates that independent directors' signatures can no longer serve as mere formalities; they are now directly linked to the outcomes of corporate actions [2][3] - The penalties imposed on independent directors underscore the shift in regulatory scrutiny, where reputational risks have transformed into substantial financial liabilities [3]

Core Viewpoint - Yili Clean Energy (formerly known as Yili Clean Energy) and its controlling shareholder, along with 29 related responsible persons, have been fined 375 million yuan by the Inner Mongolia Securities Regulatory Bureau for financial fraud, related guarantees, and fund occupation from 2016 to 2023 [2][12]. Financial Misconduct - From 2016 to 2022, Yili Clean Energy and its subsidiaries inflated profits, assets, and revenues through various fraudulent activities, resulting in total profit inflation of 192.89 million yuan, 530.31 million yuan, 276.30 million yuan, 351.91 million yuan, 358.37 million yuan, 826.85 million yuan, and a loss of 128 million yuan, which represented 3.76%, 6.18%, 2.15%, 2.79%, 4.88%, 9.37%, and -12.77% of the reported profit totals for those years [4][5]. - The company also inflated assets by 700 million yuan, 696 million yuan, 3.115 billion yuan, 2.808 billion yuan, 3.026 billion yuan, and 703 million yuan from 2016 to 2021, which accounted for 3%, 2.38%, 8.49%, 8.14%, 8.31%, and 2.06% of the reported total assets [4][6]. Related Guarantees - Between 2017 and 2021, Yili Clean Energy provided guarantees to its controlling shareholder and related parties, with amounts of 850 million yuan, 1.95 billion yuan, 3.01 billion yuan, 2.112 billion yuan, and 1.562 billion yuan, representing 8.12%, 12.38%, 17.22%, 11.50%, and 8.18% of the latest audited net assets [6]. Fund Occupation - From 2016 to 2023, Yili Clean Energy and its subsidiaries occupied funds through various means, with amounts of 700.1 million yuan, 2.409 billion yuan, 2.835 billion yuan, 1.712 billion yuan, and 200 million yuan, which represented 6.89%, 23.00%, 18.00%, 9.79%, and 1.09% of the latest audited net assets [8]. - By the end of 2023, the occupied balance was 4.505 billion yuan, which accounted for 23.51% of the reported net assets [9]. Fraudulent Bond Issuance - Yili Clean Energy issued bonds in April and July 2020, with a total issuance scale of 1 billion yuan, using fraudulent financial data from previous years, constituting a fraudulent issuance of bonds [11]. Regulatory Actions - The company received a notice of administrative punishment from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and was delisted due to continuous stock prices below 1 yuan for 20 trading days [13]. - The CSRC has intensified its crackdown on financial fraud and misconduct among delisted companies, with a total of 67 companies penalized, amounting to 1.246 billion yuan in fines [12][14].