Online portal alleges Rs 31,000 cr fund diversion by DHFL; lenders of NBFC say precautions taken while advancing loans

Following the allegation by an online portal that Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) diverted Rs 31,000 crore of loans, the lenders of the firm have said that they had taken standard precautions while advancing loans, a media report said. A State Bank of India (SBI) official told The Times of India that all due diligence was done prior to the disbursement. The report added that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is closely monitoring bank exposure to DHFL. Shares of DHFL fell by over 6 percent on Wednesday following the allegation by online portal Cobrapost. In closing trade on Tuesday, shares of the company plunged 11 percent. Cobrapost on Tuesday alleged that DHFL diverted Rs 31,000 crore of loans that the company raised from state-owned banks including SBI and Bank of Baroda, a charge the NBFC termed as mischievous with a mala fide intention. According to a Cobrapost expose, Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) through layers of shell companies allegedly siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore out of total bank loans of Rs 97,000 crore. [caption id=“attachment_4473541” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A file photo of Kapil Wadhawan, chairman and managing director, DHFL. Image courtesy: @kwadhawan1[/caption] DHFL in a statement said the company is a publicly listed housing finance company and is regulated by the National Housing Bank and the Securities and Exchange Board of India, amongst other regulators. “This mischievous misadventure by Cobrapost appears to have been done with a mala fide intent to cause damage to the goodwill and reputation of DHFL and resulting in erosion in shareholder value,” the statement said. The real intent of this exercise appears to be to destabilise the company and the market equilibrium besides hampering to meet the on-going obligations, it said. The exposes alleged that the scam has been pulled off mainly by sanctioning and disbursing astronomical amounts in secured and unsecured loans to dubious shell/pass-through companies, related to DHFL’s own primary stakeholders Kapil Wadhawan, Aruna Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan through their proxies and associates, which have in turn passed the money on to companies controlled by the Wadhawans. “The money has been used to buy shares/equity and other private assets in India and abroad, including in countries like the UK, Dubai, Sri Lanka and Mauritius,” Cobrapost said. DHFL is a responsible and law-abiding corporate citizen and all loans are disbursed in the normal course of business in accordance with industry-best practices and in compliance with all regulatory norms, the company statement said. “The company’s financial statements are submitted to the Stock Exchanges and are in the public domain. DHFL and its group companies are confident of meeting any scrutiny on any aspect of our operations and will pursue these frivolous allegations to its logical conclusion,” the company added. DHFL has a strong corporate governance regime and has received AAA credit rating from leading credit agencies. The company is fully tax-compliant and its books are audited by global auditors, it added. Cobrapost said that the exposes claimed that by lending to shell/pass-through companies without due diligence, DHFL has ensured that the recovery of such dubious loans is impossible since the companies or their directors themselves do not own any assets. This way the private assets acquired by the Wadhawans and their associates by using the funds from these dubious loans are completely ring-fenced from any recovery process that may be initiated by authorities under the SARFAESI Act or Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code of India, the portal claimed. “Thus, the only losers in the process would be the public sector banks, such as State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda, with an exposure of over Rs 11,000 crore and Rs 4,000 crore, respectively, foreign banks and shareholders from among the public or investors of DHFL,” it alleged. With inputs from PTI     To keep watching India’s No. 1 English Business News Channel – CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day. To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News – CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day.