A forensic probe has been ordered into alleged irregularities by the department of financial services.
The ministry has asked the RoC to submit within three weeks reports of the Satyam-Maytas deal and the details involved. For this, the ministry could even waive the condition of a minimum 10 per cent of shareholders required for moving the CLB with complaints.
A court allowed the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), a central government body, to question Satyam Computer Services founder B Ramalinga Raju, former managing director B Rama Raju, former chief financial officer Srinivas Vadlamani and two Price Waterhouse auditors, S Gopalakrishnan and Srinivas Talluri, for six days from March 29.
Decision on probing the role of auditors will be taken after initial inquiry
The Registrar of Companies in Hyderabad, where the head office of the crisis-ridden company is located, will be a part of the SFIO team to probe the case, sources added. Earlier on Friday, the ministry dispatched the SFIO team consisting advisers and inspectors to Hyderabad to assist RoC in the Satyam probe.
Stricter norms of corporate governance under the Companies Act 2013 as well as increasing application of technology for early detection of frauds through data analysis surveillance and usage of forensic tool are among the other steps taken by the government to prevent fraud by companies, Jaitley said.
SFIO, the investigation arm of the Corporate Affairs Ministry, has been ordered to probe alleged fraud in 83 companies in the last four years, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
"The scope of SFIO investigation include looking into the state of affairs of the company and its subsidiary Sesa Industries Ltd, in respect of mismanagement, malpractices, financial and other irregularities."
In the last three financial years and in the current financial year till November 15, SFIO was asked to investigate 167 cases.
The investigative arm of corporate affairs ministry says there may also be involvement of others in alleged fraud, besides top executives.
Khurshid said SFIO's investigation was limited to alleged corporate law violations by Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju, and others.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money-laundering case against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan and her IT firm for receiving 'illegal payments' from a Kochi-based private firm, official sources said on Wednesday.
The Serious Fraud Investigation Office has referred the issue of Rs 760 crore (Rs 7.6 billion) raised by scam-tainted Satyam Computer through share sales in 2001 in the US to the Enforcement Directorate for further inquiry, after failing to trace the amount.
The ED carried out searches against two former auditor firms of IL&FS -- BSR and Associates and Deloitte Haskins and Sells -- on Wednesday in connection with its money-laundering probe into alleged financial irregularities at the infrastructure development and finance company, official sources said. The premises linked to the two auditors in Mumbai were searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they added. The action came a week after the Supreme Court set aside a Bombay High Court verdict that quashed an SFIO probe against the two companies, both former auditors of IL&FS Financial Services, paving the way for action against them under the Companies Act and allowing the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take forward its enquiry against them.
The 61-year-old MLA from Islampur seat of Maharashtra has been asked to depose before the federal agency in Mumbai on Friday, they said. Patil, a former minister of home and finance, is also the Maharashtra president of the NCP and is a seven-term legislator.
The government has allowed the Enforcement Directorate to share information about economic offenders with 15 more agencies, including SFIO, CCI and NIA, a move that will expedite nailing of law-breakers. The finance ministry notified changes to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on November 22. Through the notification, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which deals primarily with cases of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws, would be able to share data with a total of 25 agencies, including the 10 specified earlier.
The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has arrested a person who the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) said has emerged as the mastermind of the racket of incorporating a large number of shell companies with Chinese links in India.
The Supreme Court on Monday said that it will constitute a fresh bench to hear the plea of home buyers seeking delivery of their homes booked with the Amprapali group. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala was urged by a counsel for home buyers to set up a fresh bench as the matters pertaining to the Amrapali group were being heard by a bench headed by the then CJI U U Lalit, who demitted office on November 8. "I will constitute a bench," the CJI said. The plea was mentioned by lawyer M L Lahoty, appearing for home buyers.
The Supreme Court has dismissed the bail plea of jailed former CMD of Amrapali Group of Companies Anil Kumar Sharma, saying he doesn't deserve "sympathy" after having siphoned off the hard-earned money and life savings of thousands of homebuyers. "You have cheated thousands of homebuyers. You siphoned off their hard-earned money and their life savings. You do not deserve any sympathy," a bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi said, and refused to issue notice to the prosecuting agency on the bail plea of Sharma who has been in jail for over four years in the case. "Yours is not a case of simple cheating. See the plight of thousands of home buyers. You cannot have our sympathy. You better enjoy being in jail... This court is very aware of what you did.
Independent directors of Satyam were not involved in the multi-crore accounting fraud in the IT company and were kept in the dark by founder-chairman B Ramalinga Raju, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office has concluded.
But it does not mention its views on the government demand to ban these two auditors for five years from business.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Thursday its order on a batch of PILs on the recent Adani group shares crash triggered by the Hindenburg Research's fraud allegations.
Minister of State for Corporate Affairs R P N Singh informed the Lok Sabha that the ministry has initiated an investigation into alleged irregularities at Reebok India.
In a first, the government has made it mandatory for interested buyers of IDBI Bank to provide details for security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the first stage of the bidding process. So far, in all instances of CPSE privatisation, the government would seek details regarding security clearance of the bidders at the second stage of the bidding process. This meant that bidders who qualified in the first or the Expression of Interest (EoI) round, were required to seek security clearance from the government while placing their financial bids.
What ex-IL&FS top brass got for loans? Foreign trips, private jets and chopper rides.
The crucial hearing on the PILs by a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud assumes significance in the wake of recent developments in which the Centre agreed to the apex court's proposal to set up a committee, likely to be headed by a former Supreme Court judge, to look into the regulatory regimes.
A fresh PIL was filed on Thursday in the Supreme Court seeking a probe by multiple central government agencies under the supervision of a panel or a former apex court judge against the Adani Group of companies following allegations of fraud and share price manipulation made by the US-based Hindenburg Research.
Serious Fraud Investigation Office will probe the airline for instances of fund diversions and large-scale irregularities.
The Congress-led opposition stepped up its attack on Friday against the government over the Adani row and demanded that there should be a thorough investigation into what they alleged was a 'mega scam' as it involved public money.
Earlier when Goyal had moved court seeking permission to go abroad, the judge had observed that if he wanted to go abroad, he should first deposit Rs 18,000 crore as guarantee that his company owes to lenders.
All four societies were under common management of the Sahara group and had collectively garnered Rs 86,673 crore, including more than Rs 47,000 crore collected by Sahara Credit Cooperative Society Ltd from nearly 4 crore depositors.
From Ranbaxy to Religare, Aashish Aryan takes you through a maze of legal cases involving Malvinder Mohan Singh and his younger brother Shivinder Mohan Singh. Both are in police custody following a complaint of fund siphoning.
ICAI on Tuesday said it is setting up a fast-track cell to deal with cases against chartered accountants involved in incorporating shell companies in India with Chinese links and it would aim to dispose them of by the end of the year. Those found guilty can face a lifetime ban, among other actions. The apex bodies of chartered accountants and company secretaries, ICAI and ICSI, have together received around 400 complaints on the issue and necessary actions have been initiated.
Chanda Kochhar, who was arrested for a cash-for-loan scam on Friday, was once a powerful banker and instrumental in making ICICI Bank the country's biggest private sector lender. Kochhar, a regular feature on Forbes top global honchos lists, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) along with her husband Deepak Kochhar in connection with alleged cheating and irregularities in loans sanctioned by ICICI Bank to Videocon Group companies. Kochhars were called to the agency headquarters and arrested after a brief questioning session. Her chapter at ICICI Bank ended abruptly in 2018 when the board of directors approved a request from Kochhar to seek early retirement following allegation of corruption and quid pro-quo while extending loans to the now bankrupt Videocon Industries.
Proceedings in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were disrupted as Opposition members raised slogans demanding a discussion and a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the fraud-allegation-triggered rout.
As a multi-agency probe continues in Saradha scam, findings of one official investigation suggests that the group floated at least 279 companies to channelise money collected from gullible investors as part of a vast 'ponzi' network.
As many as 2,351 companies have not spent a single penny on corporate social responsibility.
The NCLT said the new board must hold its meeting by October 8 and come out with a road map before the next hearing on October 31
Jaitley also said that several states have framed laws to deal with ponzi scheme-related cases
The CA insitute had asked the SFIO numerous times for details against the auditor, but it has not been furnished till now
