Medinah Minerals (MDMN)

[Toxic Avenger]

You're absolutely correct. Returning shares - whether from a shareholder or the company repurchasing and retiring is NEVER an income state item, let alone actual income. That's accounting 101.

It's a balance sheet only transaction affecting the capital section.

Like you, I find it difficult to believe these statements were prepared or evaluated by an accountant, let alone a CPA, when they are so far from GAAP compliant as to boggle the mind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasury_stock

On the balance sheet, treasury stock is listed under shareholders' equity as a negative number. The accounts may be called "Treasury stock" or "equity reduction".
One way of accounting for treasury stock is with the cost method. In this method, the paid-in capital account is reduced in the balance sheet when the treasury stock is bought. When the treasury stock is sold back on the open market, the paid-in capital is either debited or credited if it is sold for more or less than the initial cost respectively.
Another common way for accounting for treasury stock is the par value method. In the par value method, when the stock is purchased back from the market, the books will reflect the action as a retirement of the shares. Therefore, common stock is debited and treasury stock is credited. However, when the treasury stock is resold back to the market the entry in the books will be the same as the cost method.
In either method, any transaction involving treasury stock cannot increase the amount of retained earnings. If the treasury stock is sold for more than cost, then the paid-in capital treasury stock is the account that is increased, not retained earnings. In auditing financial statements, it is a common practice to check for this error to detect possible attempts to "cook the books."