Is Yes Bank's Rana Kapoor Under Scrutiny in the Reliance Anil Ambani Group Money Laundering Investigation?
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Mumbai, Dec 15 (NationPress) — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted an interrogation of Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor on Monday, as part of an investigation into a money laundering case associated with the Reliance Anil Ambani Group.
Sources knowledgeable about the situation indicated that Kapoor's remarks were documented under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act amid a detailed inquiry into significant financial dealings between Yes Bank and the affiliated companies from 2017 to 2019.
The investigation reveals that Yes Bank had invested approximately Rs 2,965 crore in Reliance Home Finance Limited and about Rs 2,045 crore in Reliance Commercial Finance Limited during this timeframe.
By December 2019, these investments were classified as non-performing assets, according to allegations from the agency.
Further reports indicate that the outstanding amounts were Rs 1,353.5 crore for Reliance Home Finance and Rs 1,984 crore for Reliance Commercial Finance.
“While Rana Kapoor led Yes Bank, the bank's exposure to the Reliance Anil Ambani Group (ADAG Group) was around Rs 6,000 crore as of March 31, 2017, which surged to Rs 13,000 crore by March 31, 2018,” the sources reported.
“During this period, the bank allocated over Rs 5,000 crore to Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) and Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL), both part of the ADAG Group,” they added.
The ongoing investigation has uncovered that these two companies collectively received public funds exceeding Rs 11,000 crore.
The ED is scrutinizing the movement of funds prior to Yes Bank's investments. Reports suggest that Yes Bank had obtained substantial funds from the former Reliance Nippon Mutual Fund before venturing into investments with the Anil Ambani group's finance companies.
In accordance with Securities and Exchange Board of India regulations, Reliance Nippon Mutual Fund was prohibited from directly investing or diverting funds into Anil Ambani group finance firms due to conflict-of-interest policies.
Sources mentioned that the agency suspects that public funds from mutual fund schemes were funneled indirectly, with Yes Bank acting as the intermediary for these transactions.
The investigation is ongoing, and any further actions will be contingent on the findings of this inquiry.