Paytm parent failed to file required reports to RBI: ED on Rs 611 cr notice

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday said it has issued a Rs 611 crore worth show cause notice to Paytm's parent company and linked entities for "contravention" of the FEMA on various counts.

The notice has been issued by a special director of the federal agency before the initiation of adjudication proceedings. 

The show cause notice has been issued to Paytm's flagship company One 97 Communication limited (OCL), its managing director and other Paytm subsidiary companies like Little Internet Pvt Ltd and Nearbuy India Pvt Ltd for contraventions of the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to tune of around Rs 611 crore, the ED said in a statement.

Investigation found that OCL made foreign investment in Singapore and "did not" file necessary reporting to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the creation of an overseas step-down subsidiary, it said.

The OCL had also received foreign direct investment (FDI) from overseas investors "without following" proper pricing guidelines stipulated by the RBI, it alleged.

The ED said OCL's subsidiary company in India -- Little Internet Pvt Ltd-- had also received FDI from overseas investors "without following" the pricing guidelines stipulated by the RBI.

The other subsidiary company -- Nearbuy India Pvt Ltd -- "did not" report the FDI received by the company within the time frame prescribed by the RBI, it said.

In a regulatory filing made last Saturday, Paytm said it received a notice from the ED for alleged violation of certain FEMA rules by the company and its two subsidiaries-- Little Internet and Nearbuy -- with respect to certain investment transactions.

Later, Paytm clarified that the alleged breach pertains to the period when the two companies were not its subsidiaries. It acquired the two companies in 2017.