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Introduction
The
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) vide its circular
dated 29th October 2004 has revised Clause 49 of the
Listing Agreement. The revised clause 49 now makes it mandatory for
every listed Company to lay down a Code of Conduct to be followed by
the Board Members, the Senior Management Person(s) of the Company
and the person(s) connected with them.
This
Code of Conduct is applicable to all Board Members and Senior
Management person.
Senior
Management persons means the Person or person(s) of the Company who
are members of Company’s Management Team excluding Board of
Directors. This would comprise all members of the management one
level below the Managing / Executive / Whole-Time Director(s),
including all the functional heads.
The
"Connected Person(s)" means the following persons:
Spouse, parent,
brother, sister, child or step-child
A body corporate
with which the Director / Senior Management Person(s) is
associated.
A person acting
as the Trustee of any trust, the beneficiaries of which
includes the Director / Senior Management person at (a)
above or the body corporate at (b) above.
A person acting
as a partner or any person who by virtue of (a) – (c) above
is connected with the Director / Senior Management Person(s).
The
Code of Conduct outlines the responsibility of Director/Senior
Management Person(s) to the Company and amongst other things
establishes procedures for dealing with any potential conflict of
interest which may arise between the responsibilities of a Director
/ Senior Management Person(s) and any other outside interest which
he/she or a connected person(s) may have. The Code is not a full
statement of the obligations of a Director / Senior Management
Person(s) arising from his/ her relationship with the Company. It is
the responsibility of each Director / Senior Management person to
ensure that all of these activities whether covered specifically or
otherwise in these documents, are governed by the ethical
considerations implicit in these procedures.
The
Directors of "PRIME PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LIMITED"
("Company") adopt this Code of Conduct (the "Directors’ / Senior
Management Person(s) Code") to assist directors / Senior
Management Person(s) in fulfilling their duties to the Company. The
directors are entrusted with responsibility to oversee management of
the business and affairs of the Company. As the Company’s
policy-makers, the directors set the standard of conduct for all
directors, officers and employees.
GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCT
Every
Director / Senior Management person(s) shall use due care in the
performance of his/her duties, be loyal to the Company and act in
good faith and in a manner he reasonably believes to be in and / or
not opposed to the best interests of the Company. A director /
Senior Management person shall:
make reasonable efforts to attend Board / Committee / Management
Review Meetings regularly;
dedicate sufficient time, energy and attention to the Company to
ensure diligent performance of his/her duties, including
preparing for meetings and discussions thereby reviewing in
advance materials distributed by the Company, if any and making
reasonable inquiries;
be
aware of and seek to fulfill his or her duties and
responsibilities as set forth in the Company’s Memorandum &
Articles of Association and Corporate Governance guidelines;
seek to comply with all applicable laws, regulations,
confidentiality obligations and Corporate Policies, laid down by
the Company;
ensure that private or personal financial interest doesn’t
influence his decisions and he never uses his position as
members of Board / Senior Management person for personal gain of
any sort; and
disclose precisely any direct or indirect pecuniary interest or
other interest which is not pecuniary but which could influence
judgment or give the impression that the Board member / Senior
Management Person(s) was / were acting from personal motives.
CORPORATE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Except
as described elsewhere herein, a director / Senior Management
Person(s) may engage in business so long as he/she does not pre-empt
or seize a corporate business opportunity. A corporate business
opportunity is:
an opportunity in
the Company’s line of business or proposed expansion or
diversification,
which the Company
is financially able to undertake and
which may be of
interest to the Company. A director who learns of such a
corporate business opportunity and who wishes to participate
in it should disclose the opportunity to the Board of
Directors. If the Board of Directors determines that the
Company does not have an actual or expected interest in the
opportunity, then, and only then, may the director
participate in it, provided that the director has not
wrongfully utilized the Company's resources in order to
acquire the opportunity.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Directors /
Senior Management Person(s) are expected to dedicate their
best efforts to advancing the Company's interests and to
make decisions for the Company's best interests and
independent of outside influences.
A conflict of
interest occurs when one’s private interests interfere in
any way, or even appear to interfere, with the interests of
the Company. A conflict situation can arise when a director
/ Senior Management person takes actions or has interests
that make it difficult to perform his/her duties for the
Company objectively and effectively. A director’s / Senior
Management person’s obligation to conduct the Company's
business in honest and ethical manner includes the ethical
handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between
personal and business relationships.
A director /
Senior Management person who has an actual or potential
conflict of interest, including any of the situations
described above, must disclose to the Board / to the
Chairman / Managing Director / Whole-Time Director
the existence
and nature of the actual or potential conflict of
interest and
all facts
known to him/her regarding the transaction that may be
material to judgment whether to proceed with the
transaction or not. The director / Senior Management
person may proceed with the transaction only after
receiving approval from the Board / Chairman.
GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
When acting on
behalf of PRIME PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LIMITED,
Directors / Senior Management person should never request
gifts, entertainment or any other business courtesies from
people doing business with the Company (including suppliers,
customers, competitors, contractors and consultants).
Unsolicited gifts
are permissible if they are customary and commonly accepted
business courtesies; not excessive in value; and given and
accepted without an express or implied understanding that
the Director / Senior Management Person (s) is in any way
obligated by acceptance of the gift. Meals in the ordinary
course of business and infrequent meals and entertainment,
such as cultural or sporting events, that are attended by
both the Director / Senior Management person and the giver
are not considered gifts.
Gifts of cash or
cash equivalents (including gift certificates, securities,
below-market loans, etc.) of any amount are prohibited.
COMPANY PROPERTY
Directors /
Senior Management Person(s) have responsibility to safeguard
and properly use Company’s assets and resources, as well as
assets of other organizations that have been entrusted to
the Company. Except as specifically authorized, Company
assets, including Company equipment, materials, resources
and proprietary information, must be used for Company
business purposes only.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Directors /
Senior Management Person(s) shall maintain confidentiality
of information entrusted to them by the Company. The
Company’s confidential and proprietary information shall not
be inappropriately disclosed or used for personal gain or
advantage of Director / Senior Management person or anyone
other than the Company.
FAIR DEALING
Directors /
Senior Management Person(s) shall endeavor to deal fairly
with the Company’s Customers, Suppliers, Competitors and
Employees and shall never take unfair advantage of others
through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged
information, misrepresentation of material facts or any
other unfair dealing practice.
COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS
The Company is
committed to compliance with all laws, rules and regulations
that govern the conduct of our business. Directors / Senior
Management Person(s) must ensure compliance with all laws,
rules and regulations governing the business of the Company.
SECURITIES LAWS
It is Company
policy to make full, fair, accurate, timely and
understandable disclosure in compliance with all applicable
laws and regulations in all reports and documents that the
Company files with, or submits to, the Securities and
Exchange Board of India, the Stock Exchange, Registrar of
Companies and in other public communications made by the
Company. Directors / Senior Management person(s) must abide
by the applicable Company policies and procedures designed
to promote compliance with all such security laws.
INSIDER TRADING
All directors and
officers of the company shall comply with the SEBI
(Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992, as
amended from time to time.
Trading Window is
open for officers and directors of the company to buy or
sell company’s securities, except the period for which the
Trading Window is closed.
Trading Window
shall be closed seven days before and upto two days after
each Board Meeting to conduct business items as mentioned in
SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992, as
amended from time to time.
Directors /
Senior Management Person(s) are prohibited by Company policy
and SEBI Regulations from buying or selling securities of
the Company when in possession of unpublished Price
Sensitive Information. They also shouldn’t disclose such
information to outsiders until such information is publicly
released as per SEBI guideline and any other legal
requirement. Directors / Senior Management Person(s) are
subject to additional requirements relating to reporting and
effecting transactions in Company securities under the
applicable regulations.
COMPETITION LAWS
While the Company
competes vigorously and creatively in its business
activities, its efforts in the marketplace must be conducted
in accordance with all applicable Competition Act and
Regulations. Directors / Senior Management person shall not
engage in any activity in violation of applicable
Competition Act.
INTERACTING WITH GOVERNMENT
The various
branches and levels of government have different laws
restricting gifts, including meals, entertainment, and
transportation and lodging, that may be provided to
Government Officials and Government Employees. Directors /
Senior Management Person(s) should not offer to or pay for
meals, travel, lodging or any other expenses for Government
Officials in connection with the Company or Company business
without first consulting with the Legal Counsel.
POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The Company will
not make political contributions from corporate resources to
any political party, candidate or holder of public office,
or political committee in violation of section 293A of the
Companies Act, 1956.
Company directors
/ Senior Management Person(s) must comply with applicable
laws and Company policy with respect to causing the Company
to make political contributions. Directors / Senior
Management Person(s) will not be reimbursed or otherwise
compensated for any personal political contribution.
NON-COMPLIANCE
Suspected
violations of this Code must be reported to the Chairman of
the Board or the Chairman of the Audit Committee. All
reported violations would be appropriately investigated.
Directors / Senior Management Person(s) who violate this
Code may be subject to sanctions, up to and including a
request to resign as Director or the Board’s seeking removal
of the Director / Senior Management Person(s), where
permitted by applicable law.
A director /
Senior Management person charged with a violation of this
Code shall not participate in any vote at Committee
Meeting(s) or the Board Meeting(s) concerning his/her
alleged violation, but may remain present at such meeting(s)
that may be convened for that purpose.
Any waiver of the
Directors’ / Senior Management person’s Code shall be
approved by the Board of Directors and publicly disclosed as
required by law or regulation.
NO RIGHTS CREATED
This Directors' /
Senior Management Person(s)’s Code sets forth guidelines for
conduct of Directors / Senior Management person. It is not
intended to and will not create any rights in favour of any
Director, Officer, Employee, Client, Supplier, Competitor,
Shareholder or any other person or entity.
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