'Haven't received any communication from Sebi recently,' says Adani Group

MoS Finance on Monday said in Parliament that some Adani Group firms are under Sebi, DRI scanner for non-compliance of rules

India's securities regulator and customs authorities are investigating some Adani Group companies for non-compliance of rules, MoS Finance told parliament on Monday.

It was not immediately clear when the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), or the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) launched the investigation.

The minister, Pankaj Chaudhary, did not name which companies were involved. Enforcement Directorate is not carrying out any investigation into Adani Group, he added.

Shares of Adani Group companies, which operate airports and ports, power generation and transmission, coal and gas trading, closed between 1.1%-4.8% lower on Monday.

"SEBI is investigating some Adani Group companies with regard to compliance with SEBI Regulations. Further, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is investigating certain entities belonging to the Adani Group," Chaudhary said.

Meanwhile, Adani Group said it has not not received any communication or information requests from Sebi recently.

“We have always been transparent with all our regulators and have full faith in them. While we have always been fully compliant with applicable SEBI regulations, we have made full disclosure to SEBI on specific information requests from them in the past. However, we have not received any communication or information requests recently. 

"With regard to DRI matter, it issued a show cause notice to Adani Power, about 5 years back. Subsequently, DRI passed an order in favour of Adani Power confirming that there is no over-valuation of equipment. The department has approached the Tribunal and the matter stands sub judice now. Adani Group is a responsible corporate citizen and strongly believes in compliance of applicable laws and adheres to prudent corporate governance framework," the conglomerate said in a statement.

Stocks of companies controlled by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani last month recorded their biggest-ever declines in the week ending June 18, after Indian newspaper Economic Times reported the accounts of three Mauritius-based foreign investors in Adani companies had been frozen.

Shares in the six Adani companies have fallen between 12.9%-44.9% in the five weeks after the Economic Times report.

The stocks have cumulatively lost over $37.6 billion in just over a month after the Economic Times report, even after Adani rejected the article as "blatantly erroneous."

A spokesman for the Adani group did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

($1 = 74.6060 Indian rupees)