Sebi imposes Rs 1 cr fine on Anmol Ambani in Reliance Home Finance case

Markets regulator Sebi on Monday imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Anmol Ambani, son of industrialist Anil Ambani, for his failure to exercise due diligence while approving general-purpose corporate loans in Reliance Home Finance matter.

Additionally, the regulator levied a fine of Rs 15 lakh on Krishnan Gopalakrishnan, who was the Chief Risk Officer of Reliance Housing Finance.

Both have been directed to pay the amount within 45 days, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in its order.

The order came after Sebi, in August, barred Anil Ambani and 24 others from the securities market for five years in a case pertaining to diversion of Reliance Home Finance Ltd's funds. Also, a fine of Rs 25 crore was levied on him.

In its order on Monday, Sebi noted that Anmol Ambani, who was on the board of Reliance Home Finance, had approved general-purpose corporate loans or GPCL loans, and that too after the company's board of directors had given clear direction not to go ahead with any approval of such loans.

The approval for loan of Rs 20 crore to Accura Productions Private Limited was provided by Anmol Ambani on February 14, 2019, despite the board of directors in their meeting on February 11, 2019, had directed the management to not issue any further GPCL loans.

"The noticee 1 (Anmol Ambani), as non-executive director of the company, has taken the company in his own direction and has gone overboard in his role as director. Noticee 1 in doing so, gives a hint of being motivated and definitely not in the interests of the shareholders and has not acted with due care and diligence, and has not maintained high ethical standards, Sebi said.

Anmol, who was on the board of Reliance Capital and Reliance Home Finance and also a director in the other Reliance ADAG group companies where the funds were onward lent, "did not exercise reasonable due diligence with respect to the entire GPCL lending and the onward lending by these GPCL entities to other Reliance ADAG group companies, including Reliance Capital", it added.

Sebi said that Gopalakrishnan had also approved various GPCL loans and was aware of the substantial deviations which were recorded in the credit approval memos of various loans which he had recommended while being the CRO of the company.

While being a part of the senior management of Reliance Housing Finance, Gopalakrishnan should have followed due process, complied with the code of conduct of the company, and acted with due care and diligence in performing his duties and acted in good faith, in the interest of all stakeholders of the company, Sebi said.

Both Anmol Ambani and Gopalakrishnan violated the provisions of Sebi's LODR (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirement) rules.