Emperor International appoints GT as auditor after fee dispute with Deloitte, securing 37.70% cost reduction

Bulletin Express
May 13

Emperor International Holdings Limited announced supplementary details on the recent change of auditor, confirming that Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu resigned on 10 April 2026 and that Grant Thornton Hong Kong Limited (GT) has been appointed to fill the vacancy.

Deloitte’s written proposal in February 2026 quoted an audit fee of HK$4.50 million, a level comparable to pre-pandemic charges. Management considered the increase misaligned with the group’s slimmer operating scope and, after market benchmarking, opted not to accept it. GT’s successful bid of HK$2.80 million represents a 37.70% reduction versus Deloitte’s quotation.

The Audit Committee compared GT’s scope, timetable, staffing and use of specialists with Deloitte’s and concluded no material differences in audit coverage or quality. GT will deploy a 15-member team, dedicate more than 3,500 audit hours and adopt a risk-based methodology across planning, field work and reporting phases.

Despite a public reprimand issued by the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council on 3 March 2026 concerning past 60-day archiving breaches, the committee judged that GT’s remediation measures and quality-management system under HKSQM 1 satisfy independence and competency requirements.

Fieldwork for the audit of the year ended 31 March 2026 is scheduled from mid-April to mid-June 2026, with final results targeted for release in June. GT has committed to maintain audit quality while meeting the agreed timetable.

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Most Discussed

  1. 1
     
     
     
     
  2. 2
     
     
     
     
  3. 3
     
     
     
     
  4. 4
     
     
     
     
  5. 5
     
     
     
     
  6. 6
     
     
     
     
  7. 7
     
     
     
     
  8. 8
     
     
     
     
  9. 9
     
     
     
     
  10. 10