ABVC BIOPHARMA, INC.
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Apr 15, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Apr 15, 2025
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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our “disclosure controls and procedures,” as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or Rule 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of the end of the period covered by this report to provide reasonable assurance that material information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms due to the material weakness described below.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our Chief Executive Officer, as the principal executive officer (chief executive officer) and principal financial officer (chief financial officer), is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, our internal controls and procedures may not prevent or detect misstatements. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies and procedures may deteriorate.
Management conducted an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our principal executive officer and interim principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework set forth in*Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013)*issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The following material weaknesses were identified:
| i. | We did not design and maintain an effective control environment commensurate with the financial reporting requirements of a public company. Specifically, we lacked a sufficient number of professionals with an appropriate level of internal controls and accounting knowledge, training, and experience to appropriately analyze, record and disclose accounting matters timely and accurately. Additionally, the lack of a sufficient number of professionals resulted in an inability to consistently establish appropriate authorities and responsibilities in pursuit of our financial reporting objectives, as demonstrated by, among other things, insufficient segregation of duties in our finance and accounting functions. This material weakness contributed to the following additional material weaknesses. |
| ii. | We did not design and maintain effective controls over financial reporting to properly recognize certain share-based payments, including the recognition prices and the amortization periods, or interest expenses upon the conversion of convertible debts or to identify and quantify our interest level in our subsidiaries. |
| iii. | We did not design and maintain effective controls related to the identification of and accounting for certain non-routine, unusual or complex transactions, including the proper application of GAAP to such transactions. Specifically, we did not design and maintain the effective control over reviewing the related agreements before and after entering into the transactions, as well as the control over application of appropriate US GAAP accounting guidance. Additionally, we incorrectly applied ASC 718 regarding the appropriate period in which to recognize share-based compensation expense related to services. |
The material weaknesses discussed above resulted in the restatement of our previously filed financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023.
As a result of the material weaknesses disclosed above, management has concluded that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024.
We are developing a plan to ensure that all information will be recorded, processed, summarized and reported accurately, and as of the date of this report, we are working to hire personnel with the requisite technical accounting knowledge to remediate the material weakness as soon as possible.
This annual report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit us to provide only management’s report in this annual report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
No change in our system of internal control over financial reporting occurred during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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