The World Bank has blacklisted Videocon Industries on allegations of fraud and corruption for three years.
Bankruptcy court NCLT on Tuesday allowed billionaire Anil Agarwal's Twin Star Technologies to take over Videocon Industries Ltd for about Rs 3,000 crore. Twin Star, a part of Vedanta Group, will pay around Rs 500 crore within 90 days as upfront payment and the rest as non-convertible debentures over a period of time. A two-member Mumbai bench of the NCLT comprising members - H P Chaturvedi and Ravikumar Duraisamy - approved the resolution plan by Twin-Star Technologies.
Lenders to Venugopal Dhoot-founded Videocon Group will eventually take 50-55 per cent haircut and not 95 per cent as is being reported after considering about Rs 15,000 crore expected from the sale of the group's overseas oil and gas assets, its former CFO Rajneesh Gupta claimed. Videocon Industries Ltd, which is comprised of its consumer electronics business and interest in the Ravva oil and gas field, and its overseas oil and gas assets, mainly comprising of oil blocks in Brazil, are being auctioned separately to recover unpaid loans. While Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Group has picked up Videocon Industries for Rs 2,962 crore, the bids for overseas assets are yet to be decided.
Starting with a family, which had a dealership of Bajaj Auto's scooters, to becoming the owner of a household name in consumer appliances who could afford to have Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as the brand ambassador, Venugopal Dhoot's is a story of an aggressive small town businessman's pursuit to be on the top. Now arrested in connection with the ICICI Bank loan fraud case, Venugopal Dhoot during his heydays was not the one to simply sit on small achievements like Videocon becoming the largest television set manufacturer in India.
Markets regulator Sebi has ordered the attachment of bank and demat accounts as well as mutual fund holdings of Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot to recover dues totalling Rs 5.16 lakh. The latest decision has been taken after Dhoot failed to pay the fine imposed on him in March by Sebi for not making disclosures about his interest in Supreme Energy as well as for not disclosing that Quality Techno Advisors Pvt Ltd (QTAPL) and Credential Finance Ltd (CFL) were related parties with respect to certain transactions. In an attachment notice on Monday, Sebi said the pending dues of Rs 5.16 lakh include the initial fine of Rs 5 lakh, interest of Rs 15,000 and a recovery cost of Rs 1,000.
After getting rapped for accepting Vedanta group's bid that would give just 5 per cent of their outstanding loans, lenders to Videocon Industries on Monday approached the insolvency appellate tribunal NCLAT seeking fresh bids for the debt-laden consumer durable firm. Billionaire Anil Agarwal's Twin-Star Technologies had offered Rs 2,962 crore to takeover Videocon Industries, which was 4.15 per cent of the admitted claims of Rs 64,838.63 crore of lenders. SBI, the leading lender of Videocon Industries, has approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) requesting for a rebidding of the 13 companies of the debt-ridden group, on account of strong observations against Rs 2,962 crore takeover bid by Anil Agarwal's Twin Star Technologies.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Monday stayed industrialist Anil Agarwal's Twin Star Technologies' Rs 2,962.02 crore-takeover bid of debt-ridden Videocon Industries. A two-member NCLAT bench headed by its Officiating Chairperson Justice A I S Cheema stayed the order passed by the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal on June 9. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT) direction came over two petitions filed by unsatisfied creditors -- Bank of Maharashtra and IFCI Ltd. The appellate tribunal has issued notices to the Committee of Creditors, the Resolution Professional of Videocon and the successful resolution applicant Twin Star.
Country's largest insurer LIC and four leading banks, including the IDBI Bank, may invest around Rs 161 crore (Rs 1.6 billion) in Videocon Industries to fuel its expansion programme.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the resolution plan of Twin Star Technologies -- a promoter entity of the Vedanta Resources group -- for the Videocon group. But it has pointed out that the successful resolution applicant is "paying almost nothing" as the amount offered is only 4.15 per cent of total outstanding claim. It noted the hair cut for all the creditors is 95.85 per cent and suggested to both committee of creditors (CoC) and the successful applicant an increase in the payout.
Consumer durables maker Electrolux Kelvinator Ltd will merge with Videocon Industries by next year, Electrolux managing director Anirudh Dhoot said on Tuesday.
In the debate whether spectrum was over- priced or not, the focus seems to have shifted from Videocon's telecom gamble.
Videocon Industries will merge Petrocon India with itself and the valuation of shares and exchange ratio would be five shares of the company for every two shares held in Petrocon India Ltd.
Bharat PetroResources, a wholly owned subsidiary of BPCL and Videocon Industries, holds 40 per cent of the block. Brazil's Petrobras holds the remaining 60 per cent.
The company has purchased the rights to use the 1,800 MHz spectrum in 6 circles.
The agency has also named companies Nupower Renewables, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries limited as accused in the FIR registered under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of prevention of corruption act.
Videocon Industries Chairman and Managing Director Venugopal Dhoot told Business Standard the company had already started production of PCs -- 3,000 a month -- at its Taratola facility in Kolkata.
The CBI on Monday arrested Videocon group founder Venugopal Dhoot in connection with the ICICI Bank loan fraud case, officials said. The 71-year-old Dhoot was arrested from Mumbai, nearly three days after former CEO and MD of the ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar were taken into custody by the CBI, they said.
Diversified group Videocon Industries on Wednesday said it may sell up to 26 per cent stake in the company to foreign players.
Thomson holds 10 per cent stake in Videocon Industries through global depository receipts listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Thomson had acquired 13.5 per cent in Videocon in 2005 for Rs 1,250 crore (Rs 12.5 billion) of which 10 per cent was locked in for three years.
In a communiqu to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Rs 700-crore company said the Registrar of Companies, Maharashtra, approved the name change.
Consumer durables firm Videocon Industries is looking at renewing talks to acquire the ailing Korean electronics giant Daewoo Electronics.
Videocon group promoter Venugopal Dhoot on Friday appeared before a court in Mumbai in the alleged ICICI Bank-Videocon money laundering case, and was granted bail.
Consumer durables major Videocon Industries has acquired Planet M, the music and entertainment retail arm of media house Bennett, Coleman & Co, for Rs 200 crore. The acquisition has been done by NEXT, Videocon's retail chain for consumer electronics and home appliances. Videocon Chairman V N Dhoot said Planet M, which has a huge brand equity, fits in well with the group's retail ambitions. Dhoot said the group plans an over six-fold increase in Planet M's turnover.
Bonino told Business Standard that the Italian delegation, which included almost 400 top Italian CEOs, was extremely bullish on enhancing business ties with India.
Videocon Industries Ltd will spend Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) for oil exploration and production activities, including Rs 800 crore ($183 million) abroad as part of its business plans.
Videocon Group on Thursday signed an agreement with AB Electrolux to acquire the Swedish company's entire 91.85 per cent stake in Electrolux Kelvinator Ltd. As per the deal, AB Electrolux will get about 5 per cent stake in Videocon Industries Ltd.
In an attempt to tap the growing market for lifestyle products, the Videocon group plans to come out with laptop computers, mobile phones and gaming solutions by the last quarter of 2008.
A bankruptcy appeals court has scrapped billionaire Anil Agarwal-led Twin Star Technologies' winning bid to take over Videocon Industries Ltd on a plea by some creditors that the money offered imposed a steep Rs 62,000 crore haircut upon banks. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) asked creditors to initiate the fresh sale of Videocon, a consumer durables company manufacturing products ranging from air-conditioners to washing machines, for recovery of their unpaid Rs 64,637.6 crore. While a majority of lenders had previously accepted Twin Star Technologies' Rs 2,962.02 crore offer, Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) and IFCI Ltd dissented, saying the amount offered was close to the liquidation value of the bankrupt firm and that they cannot be paid less than the liquidation value.
Videocon Industries, the oil-to-consumer durables company, has joined the race for the acquisition of the London-based Burren Energy, which recently rejected several approaches including one worth $3.5 billion (Rs 14,000 crore) from the Italian major ENI.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has directed to freeze and attach assets and properties of Videocon promoters following a petition by the ministry of corporate affairs. The NCLT Mumbai bench has directed the Central Depository Services Ltd (CDSL) and National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) that securities owned or held by the Videocon promoters "in any company or society be frozen, and be prohibited from being transferred or alienation" and the details be shared with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). It directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to disclose information about all assets of the Videocon promoters in their knowledge or possession, for the purpose of freezing and restraining such assets.
Consumer durables major Videocon on Thursday said it would pull off advertisements featuring Indian skipper Rahul Dravid and stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to save damage to the brand in the face of India's disappointing show at the cricket World Cup.
Videocon Industries Ltd has received approval from the Bombay high court for amalgamating EKL Appliances Ltd with itself.
The agency has registered the FIR after a preliminary enquiry on a complaint from the oil ministry.
The settlement offer has been made for 13 out of the 15 Videocon group companies that are currently under Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process.
With the Adani and Jindal groups and Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries joining the race to buy Videocon Industries' (VIL's) assets, lenders are expecting aggressive bids for VIL's consumer durables and overseas oil assets, which are to be sold in separate auctions. The entire asset sale exercise is expected to be completed in the next six months, said a banker. A promoter entity of Naveen Jindal-owned Jindal Steel and Power has also evinced interest in the second round of bids for VIL's consumer durable business. The deadline to submit bids for VIL's assets ended on February 2.