SEBI bars Transgene CMD and 5 officials from capital markets

Mumbai: In a suspected case of round tripping through a web of cryptic deals running across India, Hong Kong and Switzerland, Sebi has ordered a detailed probe    into the alleged diversion of funds raised by a pharma company through issuance of Global Depository Receipts (GDRs). Sebi has prima facie found that the firm, Transgene Biotek, transferred USD 29.92 million, out of total GDR  proceeds of USD 40.5 million, through a subsidiary "for undisclosed and ulterior purposes under the garb of  consideration for technology transfer and for other reasons".   

After raising of funds, the money was first kept in a Switzerland-based bank and some parts were later transferred to other entities in Hong Kong and Canada, among others, including to a subsidiary. Sebi said that "there is a need for a detailed investigation in the entire GDR issues of Transgene till the end utilisation of the funds". Initial probe by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) also found that the claims that Transgene used the GDR proceeds to acquire certain technology from Hong Kong-based Asia First Technologies Ltd was "false and misleading".

According to Sebi, Transgene had deposited USD 40.5 million GDR proceeds in Investec Bank, Switzerland, and transferred a part of the funds to Asia First from this account. From the balance sheet for financial year 2011-12 of  Transgene, Sebi observed there was no addition of assets of  the kind purportedly acquired by transferring the GDR funds. "Thus, the disclosure in annual report claiming that Transgene had made payment out of GDR proceeds was false and misleading," Sebi said.  Sebi observed that the annual report was signed by Transgene Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) K Koteswara Rao and director Narayana Murthy Pentyala. 

Accordingly, pending a detailed probe in the matter, Sebi has directed Transgene "not to issue equity shares or any other instrument convertible into equity shares or any other security till further orders". It has also barred Transgene Rao and five others from the dealing in the securities market till further directions.    Other promoters and directors who have been barred include Prashant Kumar Ghosh, Soma Sekhar Marthi, Narayana Murthy Pentyala, K Nirmala Rao and K Srinivas. As part of its probe that Sebi wants to be "completed expeditiously", the regulator would look into the role of  allottees of the GDRs like FIIs/Sub Accounts as well as that    of Asia First, among others.   

The regulator said that Transgene had "never informed its shareholders that the technology transfer from Asia First to  Transgene never took place for which USD 29.92 million were transferred to them from the proceeds of GDRs"