After hearing a petition filed by Satyam on Wednesday, CLB ordered that the company could conduct an open transparent auction process for inducting a strategic investor.
The government said on Wednesday its 'job is done' in handling the crisis-ridden Satyam, which posted a standalone net profit of Rs 181 crore (Rs 1.81 billion) in October-December quarter, and the company board can decide on sending back the nominee directors. Following disclosure of accounting fraud by founder chairman of Satyam, B Ramalinga Raju, on January 7, the government superseded the board of the IT company and appointed its own nominees to run the company.
Satyam Computer Services did not consult Mendu Rammohan Rao, dean of the Indian School of Business and an independent director on the board of India's fourth largest IT services provider, when it called off the deal to acquire Maytas Infra and Maytas Properties following shareholder protests. Rao had chaired the board meeting that endorsed the company's proposal to buy the two firms linked to the family of Satyam's founder and chairman B Ramalinga Raju.
Mynampati, who is now being questioned by the team of market regulator SEBI, got a total package of over Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million) during the year ended March 2008, while founder and Chairman had to contend with just about one fifth.
The court directed Raju, the prime accused in Satyam scam, and others to furnish personal bond of Rs 20,000 each and sureties of the like amount on or before December 22 and posted the matter to the same date.
The Special Court on Monday has sentenced erstwhile Satyam chairman B Ramalinga Raju and his brother Rama Raju to six months imprisonment for violating provision of the Companies Act.
Former economic affairs secretary E A S Sarma has written to the Securities and Exchange Board of India questioning the delay in investigating Satyam Computer even after he had alerted the regulator 'well in advance' about certain irregularities in the company's books of accounts after the Maytas deal was called off last month.
The Satyam Computer Services board is expected to induct former managing director of Tata Chemicals Homi R Khusrokhan on the company's board of directors as Executive Director and former chief financial officer of Murugappa group Partho S Datta as Director (Finance).
How many employees does Satyam Computer Services really have? Doubts over the company's claim of 53,000 employees have arisen ever since founder B Ramalinga Raju's January 7 confession to fraud.
India's embattled Satyam Computer Services could become the country's first large outsourcing company to merge or be taken over amid increasing doubts over whether its founding family still controls the company.
Satyam is still to log out Raju, his brother and other members of his top management team, despite his quitting as chairman on January 7 after admitting to a Rs 7,800-crore (Rs 78-billion) financial wrongdoing. His brother Rama Raju, who quit on the same day and is also in the jail, is still being presented as the managing director and member of the board of the scam-tainted company on its official website.
They will take stock of the current situation and discuss the way forward. Handing over the share allotment documents to Tech Mahindra is also on the agenda of Monday's board meet, according to a Satyam spokesperson. Tech Mahindra Vice-Chairman, MD & CEO Vineet Nayyar, C P Gurnani, president (international operations), and President (strategic initiatives) Sanjay Kalra have confirmed their participation in the meet.
Early on Monday morning, the chairman of the government-appointed board of Satyam Computer Services, Kiran Karnik, hurried into the Taj President Hotel in south Mumbai to begin one of India's strangest corporate sell-offs.
Mahindra Satyam still has to face 13 Class Action Law suits filed in the US. Analysts peg the cash outflow for these cases to be around $100 million. Satyam also has to get large marquee outsourcing deals, and is yet to restate its accounts which will give investors a good picture of where the company stands.
Sends team to discuss share auction with Sebi today Satyam board to sell stake via auction.
The regulator's announcement on disclosure of pledged shares comes in the wake of the Satyam scam, wherein promoter Ramalinga Raju had pledged nearly all his shares -- whose prices he had inflated by falsifying profits. The details of disclosure, which should be made in two stages -- event-based and periodical -- will be notified shortly after amending the relevant regulations and listing agreements, Sebi chairman C B Bhave told reporters after the board meeting in Mumbai.
Ahead of next month's crucial board meet that is expected to give way to a change in management, Satyam Computer on Monday said that the promoters' stake may have already reduced as a result of institutional lenders selling shares pledged with them.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India chairman C B Bhave said punishment should be quick for the perpetrators of fraud at IT firm Satyam Computer.
The board of Spice Corp which met on Wednesday night is in the process of taking a call whether to go ahead with the bidding for Satyam or not, given its apprehension about the lack of transparency.
The government has suggested that the new Satyam Computer Services board should also look within the company to appoint a CEO and CFO.
The Mumbai-headquartered company now has an employee strength of 84,000 serving 540 clients across 46 countries. Its revenues are at $2:7 billion.
The review meeting, according to government officials, was attended by the representatives of different ministries, including finance and corporate affairs, Sebi and AP government.
The government's help to the crisis-ridden Satyam Computer Services may include financial support as well, as it is a question of saving jobs and institutional investment, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said.
'But I would not like to write it myself. I don't think it will be right.'
Satyam's director Tarun Das had earlier said that the company had been approached by Indian and international IT companies and that the board would decide on it. Reports have suggested that engineering major L&T has expressed interest in acquiring Satyam, while Tech Mahindra is interested in the telecom business of the Satyam group.
Auditors seem to have developed a heightened sense of risk and are not content to tick the boxes and sign the papers.
The board also confirmed that the search for the CEO and CFO continues and that till such time these appointments are concluded, it will continue to meet on a weekly basis, to address ongoing issues. The board members reiterated that they are in touch with key customers and so far have not heard of deliveries being affected in any way.
The crux of the problem it appears is one of "trust" and the perception that a unilateral decision was taken by the board, allegedly to favour Raju's sons' companies.
The board -- which includes, Kiran Karnik, T N Manoharan, former chief, ICAI, and HDFC chief Deepak Parekh, appeared relieved after a marathon run of selecting a bidder for the scam-tainted firm.
Former Chief Justice S P Bharucha to oversee selection process, guide govt-nominated board.
Satyam Computer Services Ltd on Wednesday announced approval of Sponsored American Depository Shares issue against the existing equity shares of the company.
Noting that the market regulator Sebi and the Registrar of Companies are already on the job, the minister said, "As far as the auditors are concerned we have asked ICAI to take strictest possible action against the erring auditors." While a team of Sebi has already reached Hyderabad, headquarters of Satyam Computer, the government has asked the RoC to look into the matters concerning the erring company.
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Corporate lawyers say the fine on independent directors will make them more cautious and some will be wary of taking assignments from companies with low corporate governance standards.
A week after B Ramalinga Raju, the promoter of Satyam Computer Services, confessed to manipulating the accounts for several years, Price Waterhouse, external auditors of the Hyderabad-based software services firm, said its audit report should not be relied upon.
The "cleaning up" or restating of scam-tainted Satyam's accounts is expected to take at least six months as the newly-appointed auditing firms will have to scrutinise the company's fudged numbers back to 2002, a top source said.
"I feel Sebi as a main regulator should have been give a proper opportunity to question them (Satyam management) because Sebi officers have the best technical knowledge to look at the accounts and everything," former Karnataka IT secretary Vivek Kulkarni said.
The government is understood to be in favour of selling a 51 per cent stake in the beleaguered Satyam Computer Services, so that the ailing firm can raise sufficient funds to meet its working capital expenses and liabilities from the class-action suits.
Mahindra Satyam said it will withdraw the petition filed against the Tax Department challenging its direction to pay tax.
Sebi, which is probing charges of insider trading in the Satyam case, sought a day's custody of Ramalinga Raju and Rama Raju, who are currently in judicial custody. The regulator's request for a day's custody of the Raju brothers, however, was turned down by the sixth additional chief metropolitan magistrate on January 23.
Sources close to the development said that as of now, the court has advised the company to wait for the judgment of a similar case that is pending before Andhra Pradesh high court.
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