Do you really want to risk your reputation for four merits. That's 2 sMerits you might have, and 2 more from the four that he sends you.
I'm not sure why you even felt that it was worth asking the board.
No of course I dont, but I suppose there would be subtle ways of hiding the trade. Being tempted by an easy gain is quite human I would say.
I have asked the board for advice since I didnt want to overstep by rating out another member. As I saw, there seem to be different views regarding the trade with merits.