Abu Dhabi, Feb 17: NMC Health Plc, a hospital operator targeted by short-seller Muddy Waters, said founder Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty resigned amid investor concern he faced a margin call and misrepresented his stake.
The board asked for Co-Chairman Shetty’s resignation and it takes effect immediately, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. NMC has lost four board members since Friday, including Vice Chairman Khaleefa Butti, whose holdings are also being probed. The stock, the worst performer on the FTSE-100 Index this year, fell as much as 9.2 percent Monday morning and then rebounded.
“The resignation of senior board members should be viewed positively,” said Abdulla Nahlawi, an analyst at Rasmala Investment Bank in Dubai. “The credibility of the current board has been jeopardized with the unfolding of the recent events.”
NMC shares lost almost half their value the first week of February on speculation the company’s main investors faced a margin call, in which banks seize shares pledged as collateral. NMC said Friday that First Abu Dhabi Bank and Al Salam Bank Bahrain obtained 20 million shares in the company from BRS International Holding, an investment vehicle of NMC’s top shareholders. The banks sold more than 8 million of those shares as “enforcement of security,” NMC said.
NMC operates the largest medical network in the United Arab Emirates and in 2012 became the first Abu Dhabi company to list in London. The shares started teetering in mid-December when Muddy Waters alleged that NMC manipulated its balance sheet and inflated the prices of companies it acquired.
Shetty, 77, was born in India and founded NMC in the 1970s after moving to Abu Dhabi. His spokesman said a legal review of the situation is ongoing and declined further comment.
Chief Investment Officer Hani Buttikhi and board member Abdulrahman Basaddiq also stepped down because they were appointees of Shetty and Butti, NMC said, adding that they had no knowledge of the share transfers.
Questions remain over the role of Shetty’s family at the company. His wife and son-in-law both hold roles in senior management.
Almost 10 per cent of NMC’s freely traded shares are shorted, according to Markit Securities data. In mid-December about a third of them were.
Last week GKSD Investment, an investment company backed by hospital investors, said it’s studying a possible offer for NMC. Under U.K. takeover rules, it has until March 9 to make a bid.
NMC has said Muddy Waters’s claims are false and the company hired former FBI Director Louis Freeh to conduct an independent review. The review is due to be completed before the company issues its financial results in March, the person said.
NMC said Mark Tompkins will continue as the company’s sole chairman.
Comments
All these because of lacking of knowledge of fundamentals of Islam.
Islam is perfectly taught with boundaries for what to be done and what not to be done.
What to be done are : Farz, or obligatory deeds
What may be done : N compulsion, but doing can lead for extra reward
Not to be done Prohibitions : These should not be done. Like Associating someone with the True God who created us who only deserves to be worshipped. This is a biggest crime in Islamic point of view. Other prohibitions are eating pork, liquors, adultery, gambling,
Now the things what happening mostly in Dargah are worshipping the graves, which is the biggest crime. This is forbidden to both men and women. People can visit the dargah and pray for the dead people in that grave. But begging the dead there is prohibited.
Really those dead bodies can not help us, in contrary those bodies need prayers, wishes of living people.
We can visit the dargah in the intention to pray for the dead in the grave and to say Salam. Doing like this properly is not sin.
Wrongly Visiting Dargah can mislead to sin,
And not visiting Dargah does not amount to sin.
Therefore people lack basic teaching of Islam.
A MUSLIMAH ( True Muslim Women) will never ask with any other creation EXCEPT ALLAH... Those who depend on other than ALLAH will get what they want but in the end they will fall for the trap of deceivers who are attracting the people who are WEAK in IMAN to their way of worshiping the graves or asking with the graves.
THOSE who have faith in ALLAH will never ask or depend on, other than ALLAH. They are Satisfied with what ALLAH gave and Say ALHAMDULLILLAH in whatever situation comes their way... Congrats to such MUSLIMS and MUSlIMAH who trust ALLAH and follow the teaching of Prophet Muhammad pbuh... who never showed us Such CULTURE of DARGAH ViSIT..
Prophet MUHAMMED pbuh said... Visit GRAVES to Pray for the one who is in the GRAVE & REMEMBER that one day our fate will be same. So dont live in this life in ARROGANT or do injustice to Others.
Dear Sahil, if they knows the meaning of Namaz or Salah they never visit Dargah. Here may be RSS behind such kind of demands.
These so called muslim women don't know Islam. so they are asking entry to Dargah/Grave yard. Who stop them to go there go and enjoy.CD Editor please remove Muslim woman tag because muslim women never ask such kind of demands.Better tag Ahle biddah women ask entry to darga.
They dont bother about namaz..but worried about entry to do shirq
Haha..funny..they dont bother about performing namaz..
But worried about entry to dargah to do shirq..
Dear CD team. Please be careful when you posting one sided opinion about practice of Islam. You have reader from all sections.
REALLY SURPRISED TO SEEE THESE MUSLIM LADIES IN ROAD PROTESTING FOR ENTERING THE DARGAH ,
FIRST THEY HAVE TO OFFER NAMAZ PERFECTLY I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY WILL GET IN DARGAH ....
THEY JUST VISIT TO ASK TO THEM.. THATS NOT GOOD WE HAVE TO ASK WITH ALLAH HE IS OUR ALL MIGHTY ..
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