The Adani Group faces fresh allegations of bribery and fraud, adding to a tumultuous year marked by accusations from Hindenburg Research and global scrutiny. Despite the challenges, the share prices of Adani Group companies show resilience. Big investors announced their support. However, things are not looking too good for the Adani Group. Investors should be very cautious in view of the allegations.
Indian entrepreneur Gautam Adani was considered the second richest Indian. A few years ago, his net worth was estimated at up to $90 billion. In 2023, US short-seller Hindenburg Research accused Adani of stock manipulation and fraud. On Nov 20, the U.S. DOJ and the SEC announced legal actions against Adani. The shares of his Adani Group imploded and massively reduced his net worth.
A federal indictment unsealed in the U.S. charges Indian billionaire Gautam S. Adani, 62, and seven senior executives with orchestrating a $250 million bribery scheme to secure Indian solar energy contracts and mislead U.S. investors. Allegations of bribery, fraud, and obstruction of justice now target one of the largest renewable energy projects globally.
Shares of Block, which was attacked by short-seller Nathan Anderson and his at Hindenburg Research, failed to recover after the release of the disastrous report on Thursday. The report accuses Block of systematic crime facilitation, misrepresentation, and investment fraud. Block co-founder Jack Dorsey’s net worth plunged by $526 million. He’s now worth $4.4 billion after the 11% drop, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The central allegation of the Hindenburg Research report against the Indian Adani Group is that the listed shares of the group's companies were manipulated through offshore entities controlled by Gautam Adani and his family. Cyprus-based entity New Leaina Investments Ltd is allegedly at the center of this stock manipulation scheme. Until June-September 2021, this investment company owned over U.S. $420 million in Adani Green Energy shares, accounting for 95% of its portfolio.
On 24 January 2023, Hindenburg Research revealed the findings of a 2-year investigation and presented evidence that the Indian conglomerate Adani Group with a stock market valuation of around $218 billion, has engaged in a stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over decades. Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the Adani Group, allegedly added over $100 billion in net worth in the past three years, mainly through stock price appreciation in the group’s seven key listed companies.