"Why has SEBI not yet got to bottom of Mauritius funds holding and trading Adani stock": Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan

Raghuram Rajan has asked why SEBI has not yet got to the bottom of ownership of the four Mauritius-based funds who are said to have parked 90 per cent of their USD 6.9 billion in Adani group stocks, saying does the market regulator need help of investigating agencies for this? The funds -- Elara India Opportunities Fund, Cresta Fund, Albula Investment Fund and APMS Investment Fund -- have been under cloud for last couple of years after allegations that they may be shell companies. They came into focus once again in January when a US short seller alleged that Adani Group used offshore shell companies to inflate stock price. Adani Group has repeatedly denied all allegations.

"The issue is of reducing non-transparent links between government and business, and of letting, indeed encouraging, regulators do their job. Why has SEBI not yet got to the bottom of the ownership of those Mauritius funds which have been holding and trading Adani stock? Does it need help from the investigative agencies?," Rajan asked.

Because funds are registered in tax haven Mauritius, their ownership structure is opaque. Cresta, Albula and Elara have been subject to at least one probe for alleged round-tripping.

Hindenburg Research in a January 24 report accused Adani group of "brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud" and using a number of offshore shell companies to inflate stock prices. The group has denied all allegations, calling them "malicious", "baseless" and a "calculated attack on India".