Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani has strongly denied the allegations made in a complaint by State Bank of India (SBI) after CBI investigators carried out searches at his residence. According to Ambani’s spokesperson, the complaint pertains to matters dating back more than 10 years, when Ambani was a non-executive director with no role in the company’s day-to-day management.
Ambani has already challenged SBI’s declaration before the competent judicial forum. He firmly rejects all allegations and charges and will defend himself in due course, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also said that SBI has specifically and selectively singled out Ambani as it has already withdrawn proceedings against five other non-executive directors.
Currently, Reliance Communications is under the supervision of a Committee of Creditors led by SBI and overseen by a Resolution Professional. The matter has been sub judice before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and other judicial forums, including the Supreme Court, for the past six years.
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The news comes at a time when Reliance Group’s counsel has challenged SBI’s ex-parte action against Ambani, stating that it is in violation of the principles laid down by the Supreme Court. The Reliance Group counsel has also said that SBI must reconsider its actions in this matter.
The matter relates to SBI’s move to classify the RCom account as fraud and report Ambani to the RBI, raising concerns around procedural fairness and regulatory consistency. The action was taken through an ex-parte order — an ex-parte order is issued without a hearing — and based on a 2020 forensic audit related to a 2016 loan, despite no recent urgency or engagement from the bank for nearly a year.
The recent actions of SBI, particularly in relation to RCom and Ambani, have raised serious concerns about the transparency, fairness and impartiality of SBI’s decision-making process, according to RCom’s counsel.
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Meanwhile, Canara Bank, a member of the consortium of lenders to RCom, unconditionally withdrew its classification of the company and Ambani as “fraud” before the Bombay High Court on July 10.
