FCC

Adani Group stocks decline two to four per cent amidst OCCRP report

2023-09-04

Investor sentiment towards Adani Group companies took a hit, with shares of most entities falling by 2-4 per cent following a report by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The OCCRP report alleged that business partners of the Adani family had made significant investments in Adani shares through "opaque" Mauritius funds, sparking concerns among investors.

Adani Green Energy saw the most substantial decline, with a 4.3 per cent drop in its shares. Adani Enterprises, Adani Transmission, and Ambuja Cements also experienced significant declines of nearly 4 per cent. However, ACC managed to buck the trend, ending the day with only marginal gains.

The OCCRP report claimed that it had reviewed internal emails and files from tax havens, identifying at least two instances in which investors utilised offshore structures to purchase and sell Adani shares. These trades were allegedly executed based on instructions from a senior member of the Adani family.

These fresh allegations by OCCRP come after a report by US-based short-seller Hindenburg in January, which accused the conglomerate of engaging in accounting malpractices, corporate governance lapses, and stock price manipulation. The Hindenburg report led to a significant sell-off in Adani Group shares.

While Adani Group stocks have partially recovered from the Hindenburg-induced sell-off, many of them are still trading below their levels prior to the release of the report on January 25. Adani Total Gas and Adani Energy Solution, for instance, are currently trading 84 per cent and 71 per cent below their January 24 closing prices, respectively. Overall, the group has lost Rs 8700 billion in market capitalisation since then.