SEC Charges African Gold Acquisition Corp. with Internal Controls, Reporting, and Recordkeeping Failures

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against African Gold Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), for internal controls, reporting, and recordkeeping violations. These failures enabled African Gold’s former chief financial officer to misappropriate approximately $1.2 million from the company’s operating bank account. As a result, African Gold made materially false filings with the Commission and maintained inaccurate books and records. According to the SEC’s order, African Gold’s only liquid asset was the money held in its operating bank account, and thus potential fraud by management posed one of the company’s most significant risks of material misstatement in its financial statements.