The head of one of China’s leading brokerage firms has been released after five weeks helping mainland authorities with an investigation as Beijing investigates stock market irregularities.

中国一家领先券商的负责人在配合内地有关部门调查5周后重新现身。中国当局正在调查股市违规行为。

Guotai Junan International, the Hong Kong unit of one of China’s biggest securities companies, said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange that neither the company nor its chairman and chief executive, Yim Fung, were targets of the probe.

中国最大证券公司之一在香港的子公司——国泰君安国际(Guotai Junan International)在提交给香港交易所的声明中表示，该公司及其董事会主席兼行政总裁阎峰(Yim Fung)均非上述调查的对象。

It said Mr Yim would return to work as of Wednesday, and that the company’s operations are “normal and stable”.

声明称，阎峰已于周三恢复履职，公司目前运作“稳定正常”。

Shares in Guotai Junan International leapt 8.1 per cent in Hong Kong on Wednesday to close at HK$2.82.

国泰君安国际在香港上市的股票周三跃升8.1%，收于2.82元港币。

The company said last month it had been unable to contact Mr Yim since November 18 and had appointed people to replace him.

该公司上月表示，自11月18日以来无法与阎峰取得联系，已任命其他人代替其职位。

Mr Yim’s disappearance coincided with that of Guo Guangchang, China’s self-styled Warren Buffett, who went missing for four days earlier this month while assisting Chinese judicial authorities with an unspecified investigation.

阎峰失联期间，有“中国巴菲特”之称的郭广昌也曾消失，郭在本月早些时候失踪了4天，其间协助中国司法机关进行一项未公布的调查。

Mr Guo, chairman and co-founder of Fosun, China’s largest private conglomerate, was the most prominent private sector businessman so far to be caught up in Beijing’s anti-corruption investigation.

身为中国最大民营企业集团之一复星(Fosun)的创始人和董事长，郭广昌是迄今被卷入中国当局反腐调查的最知名的民营企业家。

Mr Guo returned to work on December 14 and subsequently travelled to North America on business. He returned to China on Wednesday, the latest indication he is apparently free to conduct business as usual.

郭广昌于12月14日恢复履职，随后便前往北美出差。他在本周三回到中国，这是他显然已自由从事业务的最新迹象。

Fosun said it was not the target of that investigation but did not publicly comment on Mr Guo’s involvement.

复星虽然表示自己不是调查对象，但未就郭广昌被卷入调查一事公开置评。

Some European executives who work closely with Fosun, one of China’s most aggressively acquisitive companies and owner of Club Med and a 25 per cent stake in Cirque du Soleil, said they were told Mr Guo had not been a target and that his involvement in the probe was now over.

复星是中国最具收购意识的企业，拥有地中海俱乐部(Club Med)以及太阳马戏团(Cirque du Soleil)的25%股份。与该集团密切打交道的一些欧洲高管称，他们被告知，郭广昌并非调查对象，而他对上述调查的参与已经结束。

It was not clear why he was released after only four days — compared with five weeks for Mr Yim — but according to people familiar with the matter, mainland authorities were taken aback by the market backlash over Mr Guo’s disappearance.

尚不清楚为何郭广昌失联4天后就获释（相比阎峰失联了整整5周），但据熟悉此事的人士称，中国内地有关部门被郭广昌失踪所引发的市场反弹吓了一跳。

Mr Yim was only the latest of several brokerage officials, fund managers and regulators to be ensnared in a government investigation since China’s summer stock market rout, in which Beijing tried to halt a slide in domestic share prices.

自今夏股市动荡引发中国当局试图阻止国内股价暴跌以来，多名券商高管、基金经理和监管者都被卷入政府调查，阎峰只是这些人中的最新一个。

One of those investigated previously was Yao Gang, former vice-chairman of the stock market regulator, the China Securities Regulatory Commission and a former head of Guotai Junan.

此前被调查的官员中，还包括中国证监会(CSRC)前副主席、国泰君安的前董事长姚刚。

In September, Beijing’s probe led to televised confessions by some CSRC officials and by a leading financial journalist.

今年9月，当局的调查曾导致证监会一些官员和一位知名财经记者在电视上认罪。