For many Indian tycoons, 2019 turned woeful as lenders -- empowered by the nation’s recent bankruptcy law and desperate to clean up soured debt from their books -- started seizing assets of delinquent firms or dragged them into insolvency.
Indian banks wrote off a record $39 billion of loans in the 18 months through September in a bid to repair their balance sheets as they battled the world’s worst bad debt pile. Making matters worse, a shadow banking crisis led to a funding squeeze, crushing debt-laden businesses that were critically dependent on rollover financing.
“Life has come a full circle for tycoons that had enjoyed debt-fueled growth,” said Nirmal Gangwal, founder of distress and debt restructuring advisory firm Brescon & Allied Partners LLP. “Many firms collapsed like a house of cards. The downfall was rather unprecedented.”
The government has also been cracking down on economic crime to assuage public anger over absconding businessmen. It’s even barred some from traveling overseas if they were deemed a flight risk.
Here are some of the country’s biggest and most-storied businessmen who saw their fortunes fade. Spokespersons for none of these tycoons, except Essar, immediately replied to emails and text messages seeking comments.
Anil Ambani
The chairman of Reliance Group, which makes movies to metro lines, had a close shave with jail time in March before his elder brother and Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, bailed him out at the last minute. The woes of the ex-billionaire came to the fore when India’s top court asked him to pay Ericsson AB’s India unit about $77 million of past dues or go to jail since Anil Ambani, 60, had given a personal guarantee. His telecom carrier slipped into insolvency this year, while unprofitable Reliance Naval & Engineering Ltd. faced a cash crunch. Reliance Capital Ltd. is selling assets to pare debt. Ambani is also fending off Chinese lenders in a London court.
Malvinder & Shivinder Singh
Karma caught up with ex-billionaires and brothers Malvinder Singh, 47, and Shivinder Singh, 44, and how. Scions of a prominent business family, they once helmed India’s top drug maker and second-largest hospital chain. In October, the two were arrested on charges of fraudulently diverting nearly $337 million from a lender they controlled. India’s market regulator found in 2018 that the brothers had defrauded their hospital company of about $56 million. The collapse of the $2 billion empire turned brother against brother, prompting their mother to broker a peace deal that was short-lived. In February, Malvinder accused Shivinder and their spiritual guru of fraud.
Shashikant & Ravikant Ruia
After a hard-fought battle to keep their flagship steel mill, the first-generation entrepreneurs finally saw the bankrupt Essar Steel India Ltd. pass on to ArcelorMittal last month. The $5.9 billion takeover was almost two years in the making with multiple legal wrangles. The group, controlled by Shashikant Ruia, 76, and Ravikant Ruia, 70, were also reprimanded by a U.K. judge in March this year for concealing documents. Started in 1969 as a construction firm, Essar Group diversified, investing about $18 billion between 2008 and 2012, and piled on debt. In 2017, the group had sold another prized asset, Essar Oil.
Selling an asset to pare a liability shouldn’t be seen as a “lost asset,” an Essar spokesman said, adding that the group remains a diversified conglomerate.
VG Siddhartha
Before jumping off a bridge into a river in July in an apparent suicide, the founder of India’s biggest coffee chain Cafe Coffee Day had penned a letter that spoke of pressure from lenders, a private equity firm and harassment by tax officials. He had spent much of the last two years pledging ever more of Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. shares to refinance loans for ever shorter periods, at ever higher interest rates. “I would like to say I gave it my all,” V.G. Siddhartha, 60, wrote in the letter. “I fought for a long time but today I gave up.”
Naresh Goyal
The former ticketing agent who built India’s largest airline by value, stepped down as chairman of Jet Airways India Ltd. in March, caving in to pressure from banks who took over the company. Cut-throat price wars and surging costs pushed Jet deeper into loss. The airline stopped flying in April and went into bankruptcy two months later as lenders failed to find a buyer. In July, an Indian court barred Naresh Goyal from flying overseas after the government said it was investigating an alleged $2.6 billion fraud involving Jet Airways.
Rana Kapoor
The founder of Yes Bank Ltd., which became India’s fourth-largest non-state lender, tweeted in September 2018 that his shares were invaluable and requested his children never to sell them upon inheritance. But trouble was brewing. The nation’s banking regulator, which found the lender had repeatedly under-reported its bad loans, refused to extend his tenure as chief executive officer. This forced Rana Kapoor, 62, to step down by end-January. Kapoor, who has pledged some of his Yes Bank shares in July, sold almost his entire stake in the lender by October.
Subhash Chandra
The rice trader-turned-media mogul, 69, who brought cable television into Indian homes in the early 1990s with his ZEE TV, resigned as chairman of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. in November and lost control of his crown jewel. Subhash Chandra has been selling stake in Zee Entertainment in the past few months to repay group’s debt.
Gautam Thapar
A default by Gautam Thapar, founder of the paper mill-to-power transmission Avantha Group, on pledged shares made Yes Bank Ltd. the biggest shareholder in CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd. In August, the firm was hit by an accounting scandal forcing the board to remove Thapar, 59, from the chairman’s post. A month later, the market regulator ordered a forensic audit of the firm and barred Thapar from accessing securities market.
Comments
Bajrang Dal still exist in Mangalore because majority of followers are monkeys. They just goes with stupid and illiterate people without questioning their background. Most of Bajrang Dal leader either ex-ladies bar owner or conductors.(uneducated or criminals).
Monkey Dal gathered together to discuss their own created issues. They have nothing to discuss other than children's plays.
It's funny how these activists say a lie so many times and make it appear like the truth..I'm ashamed to call them hindus..because I have amazing Hindu friends (whom I believe are true hindus). Love jihad? What rubbish!this shows how much you cook up stories. Dont waste money on unnecessary programmes. Donate it to poors..so many are in need of money. Btw don't think muslim men are jobless. there are enough pious muslim girls in our country whom they can get married to. We are not in shortage.
Also need a discussion regarding hiring muslims in all job sectors across karnataka
Tigale gant marilu....bhoomig bhara
Mangalore was peaceful for quite sometime.....now again goons became jobless I hope.... smart city ... developments all gaya bhaad me...
Gaaf me dhum hai to try to stop your girls or punish them...your.people will throw you in garbage.....try that way.....
Discuss right now LOVE JIHAD founder is sitting in front of you (CHOTE MIA)I dont remember his name sitting on your extreme left. Why to spend Money start now itself.
Fake People.
I could not understand why these waste and burden to earth... hate mongers are talking on love jihad time and again whereas such issue does not exist in reality, but exists only in the mind and agenda of sangh parivar. This is to fool people and gain political benefit. Love Jihad is not a concept in any religion, particularly in Muslims and this is a fake + man made concept by sangh parivar. We, the peace loving people of karnataka should oppose and raise against these hate mongers.
After a long period of rest, culprits are back to trouble. Peace loving Mangalorean be careful and be happy with your family.
Indians in india cant eat beef but indian beef can be eaten in other parts of the world....what a joke....
Bajrangies go and stop exporting if you have got ba**s....
Jihad means a spiritual struggle within oneself against Sin.
Prophet Muhammad pbuh. taught us...
Alcohol destroys U and your family life
Gambling destroys U and your family life
Interest destroys U and your family (It may give a temporary enjoyment of the money lend to U by banks but in long term when U see most of the people have become BANKRUPT...
(Look Mallya - Whatever he owns did not benefit him...one day U will c the real color).
Quran says Trade is acceptable but not Riba (Interest).
True Muslims strive hard NOT TO involve in such evils of the society & They strive to stay away from these sins and also other such things in life...
God promises to give more when we follow his commandments ... it is not just for muslims but it should be recognized by the whole of mankind..
Most of the People are just listening to the ISLAM-HATERS and judging without verifying. But the CREATOR of all that exists asks us to use our INTELLECT and Verify before You come to any conclusion of any matter in your LIFE... if not YOU will be regretting later...
Love Jihad is fake and a creation of cheddi and its allies..who wants to spread corruption in the society.
Wonderful decision by wonderful lads of Bajji and Ranjjis, what you mean of \Cow Trafficking\" at present I am in HONG KONG really fantastic INDIAN BEEF Avails here, no problem at all, so these wonderful Tidy Bear??? Master Hamarappa Puranik only Barking, If he IS having GuTs, Strength let him ask Indian Prime minister Modianna, to Cancel Exporting Licence that is the Gentleman's work Keeping some Chelas around catching Labour, Driver, Butcher, Cleaner like humans.. they are catching and punishing that's women's work Annanna, come front line and catch real culprits.
NAREAN Bai where are you Sir?? Are you Near by !!!!! Keep it up Baisabb."
1) U have forgotten most important issue..... ban exporting of beef and find out how many of your goons are into this business....
2) At the right age with out if girls are married off, issues of love marriage maybe solved
3) drugs ok.....go ahead, nice step
For such matters press meet is not necessary, can be discussed within yourself
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