MFDA announces settlement hearing to take place in respect of Md Ashanur Rahman
TORONTO, March 26, 2021 /CNW/ - The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada ("MFDA") commenced a disciplinary proceeding in respect of Md Ashanur Rahman ("Respondent") by Notice of Hearing dated January 8, 2021.
As the result of a settlement agreement entered into between Staff of the MFDA and the Respondent, a settlement hearing will proceed before a Hearing Panel of the MFDA's Central Regional Council by electronic hearing on April 13, 2021, commencing at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern), or as soon thereafter as the matter can be heard. Members of the public who would like to obtain particulars should contact [email protected].
The subject matter of the proposed settlement agreement concerns matters for which the Respondent may be disciplined pursuant to ss. 20 and 24.1.1 of By-law No. 1 of the MFDA. In particular, the settlement agreement concerns allegations that the Respondent:
- in 2017 and 2018, engaged in personal financial dealings with clients by borrowing monies from clients, lending monies to a client, or depositing monies belonging to clients to his personal bank account, all of which gave rise to conflicts or potential conflicts of interest that he failed to disclose to the Member or otherwise address by the exercise of responsible business judgment influenced only by the best interests of the clients, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.1.4 and 2.1.1;
- between May and June 2018, aided a client to falsely portray monies as a gift to assist the client to secure a mortgage, thereby failing to observe high standards of ethics and conduct in the transaction of business and engaging in conduct or a practice which is unbecoming or detrimental to the public interest, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1;
- on October 24, 2017, deposited $20,000 in cash, which he borrowed from a client, into bank accounts that he controlled in three separate transactions of less than $10,000 each, thereby circumventing the large cash transaction reporting requirements to the Financial Transaction and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1; and
- in 2018, made false or misleading statements to the Member during the course of an investigation into his conduct, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1.
MFDA settlement hearings are typically held in the absence of the public pursuant to section 20.5 of MFDA By-law No. 1 and Rule 15.2(2) of the MFDA Rules of Procedure. If the Hearing Panel accepts the settlement agreement, then the proceeding will become open to the public and a copy of the decision of the Hearing Panel and the settlement agreement will be made available at www.mfda.ca.
A copy of the Notice of Hearing is available on the MFDA website at www.mfda.ca. During the period described in the Notice of Hearing, the Respondent conducted business in Toronto, Ontario.
The MFDA is the self-regulatory organization for Canadian mutual fund dealers, regulating the operations, standards of practice and business conduct of its Members and their approximately 80,000 Approved Persons with a mandate to protect investors and the public interest. For more information about the MFDA's complaint and enforcement processes, as well as links to 'Check an Advisor' and other Investor Tools, visit the For Investors page on the MFDA website.
SOURCE Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada
Charles Toth, Vice-President, Enforcement, 416-943-4619, [email protected]
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