It is quite a shock that that company management, mainly disgraced chairman B Ramalinga Raju, kept everyone -- seemingly --in the dark for a decade.
Earlier this month, the corporate affairs ministry had written to various ministries including telecom, railways and steel seeking directions for public sector units under their administrative control for exempting Satyam from submitting audited balance sheets while bidding for projects of the state-owned firms.
The government is planning to nominate full-time directors while inducting the remaining seven members in the reconstituted board of Satyam Computer Services Ltd, said a top corporate affairs ministry official. The ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), which got an interim order from the Company Law Board to supersede the existing board of the Hyderabad-based company, is planning to make the announcement within a week to ensure smooth functioning at Satyam.
After waiting for months for Satyam Computer Services to honour their job offers, several wannabe Satyamites finally landed at the scam-hit company's headquarters in Hyderabad to get an assurance on their jobs. Satyam has been the preferred choice for many students and colleges alike. But over the last couple of years, the company has either reduced the intake or stopped going to institutes for recruitment. The company usually recruited in advance anticipating new projects.
The government does not see any conflict of interest in HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh and former Nasscom President Kiran Karnik, who are directors on the board of Satyam's competitors, being on the troubled company's board.
Employees of the beleaguered Satyam Computer Services are now finding it difficult to get personal loans or pay back equated monthly instalments. Even their credit card limits have been reduced by almost 80 per cent since banks have become stringent following reports of the severe cash crunch at Satyam on the back of the admission of a financial fraud by the former company chairman Ramalinga Raju.
The team comprising advisors and inspectors from SFIO has gone to assist the officials of the Hyderabad registrar of companies, which is at present conducting investigations. Minister of corporate affairs Prem Chand Gupta had on Wednesday directed the RoC Hyderabad to look into the Satyam issue and submit a preliminary investigation report by January 14.
Leading accounting firm KPMG on Friday said the existing management of beleaguered Satyam Computer Services should go and the government take control of the company board to save the image of India Inc.
The eight companies, against which the ministry of corporate affairs has ordered inspection on Thursday, include Maytas Properties and Maytas Infrastructure. Following the disclosure, the MCA has asked the Registrar of Companies, Hyderabad to investigate the company, while market regulator Sebi also ordered a probe.
Ram Myanampati, the interim chief executive officer of beleaguered Satyam Computer Services, on Thursday admitted that he himself is on a shaky ground.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, an advisory and consulting firm whose sister company audited the accounts of Hyderabad-based Satyam Computer Services, has a chequered past with Indian tax authorities, having admitted its "mistake" in at least two cases of tax evasion.
The hearing of the forgery case filed by British mobile solution firm Upaid against Satyam Computer Services is not scheduled for hearing during this week. This means no Satyam official -- neither B Ramalinga Raju who stepped down as its chairman after admitting to a financial fraud nor any other top executive -- is in the US for the case. When contacted, a Satyam spokesperson confirmed the development and added that Raju was 'very much' in Hyderabad.
Software company Tech Mahindra said it may evaluate the telecom business of the Satyam Computer Services for acquisition.
Millions of shareholders would be hurt by the developments as the Satyam management was not fair to them, said the official, who did not want to be named. The SFIO investigation would form part of the coordinated action by all the regulatory and enforcement agencies, the official said.
Ram Mynampati, the interim chief executive of the beleaguered Satyam Computer Services, wrote an impassioned letter to all the employees to the company, asking them to stand together in these turbulent times.
CII believes there is a need to immediately examine the loopholes in regulation, accounting, audit and governance that allowed such lapses to occur and address them with urgency. While the occurrence of such events in a major company is a matter of deep regret, CII believes it would be inappropriate for this to be the basis of questioning of general governance standards in other companies.
The National Association of Software and Services Companies, the apex body of the IT-BPO industry in India, on Wednesday expressed shock at the disclosures made by Satyam Computer Services chairman B Ramalinga Raju.
The holding is expected to come down further as the promoters has pledged the entire holdings over a period of time since September 2006. More institutional lenders are expected to exercise their option of selling the pledged shares to cover margin calls.
Sources said that the new management made a formal announcement before senior management personnel on Thursday on the issue of reducing manpower by up to 14,000 people.
The decision of Satyam Computer Services to give itself time to consider a series of options to shore up investor confidence, including steps to strengthen governance, has come as a welcome surprise to institutional investors in the company.
Three days after the World Bank decided to ban it for eight years, Satyam Computer Services today hit back and demanded an apology from the bank for "certain inappropriate statements" made by its representatives.
Foxnews.com on Tuesday reported that the World Bank ban started in September this year "due to alleged malpractice's including bribery". The news report said the World Bank debarment -- the harshest sanction ever made by the bank since 2004 -- was meted out for 'improper benefit to bank staff' and 'lack of documentation on invoices'.When contacted, a Satyam spokesperson said that "the company does not comment on individual clients".
Unlikely to launch formal probe into IT firm's Maytas move.
Chrysler and General Motors each annually outsource $200-300 million (around Rs 10-15 billion) worth of projects to different vendors, which may be hit by 20-25 per cent, says Avinash Vashistha, chairman and CEO, Tholons, a research and advisory firm. While Chrysler has filed for bankruptcy, there is talk that GM may follow suit.
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.
Companies dissatisfied with 'intent and focus' of tech major.
W L Ross & Co has acquired 1.8 million American Depository Receipts (ADRs) of Satyam (Mahindra Satyam) from NYSE Euronext for $4.6 million (over Rs 20 crore) at an average price of $2.5 per share, the parent firm of W L Ross, Invesco, said in a Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) filing.
While the deal at the bid price of Rs 58 per share may bring some cheer to Satyam's shareholders as it brings to end a host of uncertainties, Tech Mahindra has a tough task on its hands, given that Satyam's revenues and client-base is diminishing slowly.
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.
The Company Law Board on Thursday completed the formality of approving the induction of Venturbay, a subsidiary of Tech Mahindra, as the strategic investor to acquire a 31 per cent stake in Satyam Computer Services and asked it to deposit Rs 1,756 crore for the deal by April 21 in a designated account.
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.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said the country's regulatory structure is strong enough to prevent a Satyam-like fraud in future.
Ironically, the laws of the land seem to have given him breathing time from the interrogation of various investigation agencies, which plunged into action soon after the Rs 7,800 crore (Rs 78 billion) scam was exposed.
IBM's exit leaves the field open for engineering giant Larsen & Toubro, which owns 12 per cent in Satyam, Tech Mahindra, Cognizant Technology and private equity firm Wilbur L Ross. Satyam currently faces 13 class action suits by holders of the company's ADRs in the US. An investment banker close to the deal said IBM was a big name and could, therefore, be vulnerable to more lawsuits.
A team from India's $7 billion engineering behemoth, Larsen & Toubro, which holds 12 per cent stake in Satyam Computer Services started inspecting the books of the troubled company.
Despite wage hikes, an appreciating rupee, and fewer working days nibbling at their profit margins during the quarter ended December 31, 2007, the five IT majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys Technologies, Wipro, Satyam Computer Services and HCL Technologies posted revenue and net profit figures that were in line with market expectations.
The newly appointed (by the government) board members, O P Vaish and Ved Jain, said the company and its lenders were expected to reach an agreement in this regard by March 25. The board met in Hyderabad under the chairmanship of Vaish and sought information on the state of the company and the various projects it was implementing and negotiating. Vice-Chairman B Teja Raju and Additional Director B Narasimha Rao were present.
The government-appointed board of Satyam Computer Services will meet on Friday to scrutinise the bids for a 51 per cent stake in the company and decide a schedule for completing the selection process.
The Fox News in an online report quoted a spokesman for the UN Secretariat as saying that "one direct contract it (UN Secretariat) had with Satyam is to be terminated."
The Hinduja Group on Monday said it is looking at bidding for Satyam Computer Services but yet to take a decision.
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