You're right about the PR and that is about all. The news could have been handled better by the company but in fairness to them, FINRA can be VERY unpredictable and make a company look like they messed up when in fact, it is their own "deliberate" way in which they review the documents that makes the company look like they didn't know what they were doing when they released the initial PR. Frankly, FINRA doesn't give a rip if they make a company look bad or not.
In my opinion the reason why FINRA may be scrutinizing this forward split dividend deal so much is because of the past track record of the former CEO. If you really do some DD you will find out just how much he did to hurt the business, and in the end, he placed Ben in a VERY tough spot. Ben had real mess laid in his lap. I think he has done a pretty good job of handling it, but the obstacles he has had to try and overcome are bigger than many people really know all about.
A 2 for 1 forward split is very much a legitimate dividend. Many big board stocks use them also to reward shareholders. I am in no way comparing INIX to any big board stock, I am simply stating that a forward split is a totally legitimate dividend.
Whether or not the dividend ends up having actual value depends on how well the company handles things after the split takes place. Typically companies follow up a forward split with very big news to attempt to get the share price moving up. If the share price goes up after the split it is immediate additional money in everyone's account that did not come out of their own pockets. Hence, the dividend.
Time will tell how well this dividend in the form of a forward split works out.