UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Investment Company Act file number: 811-21712
Clough Global Equity Fund
(exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Nicholas Adams, Secretary
Clough Global Opportunities Fund
1290 Broadway, Suite 1000
Denver, Colorado 80203
(Name and address of agent for service)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 877-256-8445
Date of fiscal year end: October 31
Date of reporting period: November 1, 2021 – October 31, 2022
The Registrant previously filed its Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N-CSR with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 9, 2023 (Accession No. 0001398344-23-000486). This Form N-CSR/A (the “Amendment”) is being filed to correct the year of the audit report contained in the “Consent of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” attached hereto as exhibit 13(e). Additionally, documentation is being filed, attached hereto as exhibit 13(f), to confirm that the incorporation of the December 30, 2021 audit report was in error and, instead, should have incorporated the results of the December 31, 2022 audit.
Except as otherwise noted above, the Report was accurate, timely distributed to shareholders, as applicable, and contained all information required to be included in such reports by the Registrant’s registration statement form under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, pursuant to Rule 30e-1(a) thereunder.
Items 1 through 12 of this Amendment to the Registrant’s Form N-CSR are incorporated by reference to the Form N-CSR filed on EDGAR on January 9, 2023.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
CLOUGH GLOBAL EQUITY FUND
| By: | /s/ Lainey Ejiasa | |
| Lainey Ejiasa | ||
| President/Principal Executive Officer | ||
| Date: | April 12, 2023 |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
CLOUGH GLOBAL EQUITY FUND
| By: | /s/ Lainey Ejiasa | |
| Lainey Ejiasa | ||
| President/Principal Executive Officer | ||
| Date: | April 12, 2023 |
| By: | /s/ Ryan Johanson | |
| Ryan Johanson | ||
| Treasurer/Principal Financial Officer | ||
| Date: | April 12, 2023 |
Ex. 99.Cert
I, Lainey Ejiasa President and Principal Executive Officer of the Clough Global Equity Fund, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of the Clough Global Equity Fund; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have: |
| a. | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b. | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, 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; |
| c. | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d. | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions); |
| a. | all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and |
| b. | any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| By: | /s/ Lainey Ejiasa | |
Lainey Ejiasa |
||
| President/Principal Executive Officer |
| Date: | April 12, 2023 |
I, Ryan Johanson, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer of the Clough Global Equity Fund, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of the Clough Global Equity Fund; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have: |
| a. | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b. | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, 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; |
| c. | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d. | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions); |
| a. | all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and |
| b. | any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| By: | /s/ Ryan Johanson | |
| Ryan Johanson | ||
| Treasurer/Principal Financial Officer |
| Date: | April 12, 2023 |
Exhibit 99.906Cert
This certification is furnished pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 18 U.S.C. § 1350, and accompanies the report on Form N-CSR (the “Report”) for the period ended October 31, 2022 of the Clough Global Equity Fund (the “Company”).
I, Lainey Ejiasa, the President and Principal Executive Officer of the Company, certify that:
| (i) | the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d), as applicable, of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d)); and |
| (ii) | the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
| Dated: | April 12, 2023 |
| By: | /s/ Lainey Ejiasa | |
Lainey Ejiasa |
||
| President/Principal Executive Officer |
This certification is furnished pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 18 U.S.C. § 1350, and accompanies the report on Form N-CSR (the “Report”) for the period ended October 31, 2022 of the Clough Global Equity Fund (the “Company”).
I, Ryan Johanson, the Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer of the Company, certify that:
| (i) | the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d), as applicable of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d)); and |
| (ii) | the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
| Dated: | April 12, 2023 |
| By: | /s/ Ryan Johanson | |
| Ryan Johanson | ||
| Treasurer/Principal Financial Officer |
Exhibit 13(e)(1)
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form N-2 filed with the SEC on October 20, 2021 of our report dated December 30, 2022, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of Clough Global Equity Fund, for the year ended October 31, 2022, which appear in this Form N-CSR.
/s/ Cohen & Company, Ltd.
Cohen & Company, Ltd.
Cleveland, Ohio
January 9, 2023
Exhibit 13(f)
| Clifford J. Alexander | |
| 1601 K St NW | |
| Washington DC 20006 | |
| D: 202.778.9068 | |
| F: 202.778.9100 | |
| M: 703-380-8500 | |
| clifford.alexander@klgates.com |
April 5, 2023
Ms. Christina DiAngelo Fettig
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F. Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549
| Re: | Clough Global Equity Fund and Clough Global Opportunities Fund |
Dear Ms. Fettig
I am furnishing this in connection with the SEC’s comments to the consents filed with the N-CSRs for the Clough Global Equity Fund and Clough Global Opportunities Fund (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) for the period ending October 31, 2022.
Cohen & Company, Ltd (the “Auditor”) serves as auditor of each Fund. The Auditor filed its “Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” (the “Consents”) with the SEC as part of each of the Funds’ October 31, 2022, N-CSR filing. The Consents incorporated the Funds’ December 30, 2021 audit reports into the registration statements filed with the SEC on October 20, 2021 (the “Registration Statements”).
After review, it has been determined that the references to the December 30, 2021 audit reports in the Fund’ Consents was in error. This will confirm that it was the intent of the Auditor to consent to the incorporation of the financial statements and financial highlights from each of the December 30, 2022 audit reports into the Funds’ Registration Statements.
Respectfully,
| /s/ Clifford J. Alexander |
Clifford J. Alexander