Swiss authorities freeze $310m allegedly linked to front man of Adani Group; Adani rejects allegations

Swiss authorities have frozen more than $310 million in funds across multiple Swiss bank accounts as part of money laundering allegations into Adani Group, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research claimed citing media report - a charge that the conglomerate vehemently denied.

In a post on X, Hindenburg cited "newly released Swiss criminal records reported by Swiss media outlet" to state that "Swiss authorities have frozen more than $310 million in funds across multiple Swiss bank accounts as part of a money laundering and securities forgery investigation into Adani, dating back as early as 2021."

"Prosecutors detailed how an Adani frontman invested in opaque BVI/Mauritius & Bermuda funds that almost exclusively owned Adani stocks," it said citing the report.

Adani Group rejected the allegations as baseless saying it had no involvement in any Swiss court proceedings.

"We unequivocally reject and deny the baseless allegations presented. The Adani Group has no involvement in any Swiss court proceedings, nor have any of our company accounts been subject to sequestration by any authority," it said.

It went on to state that "even in the alleged order, the Swiss court has neither mentioned our group companies, nor have we received any requests for clarification or information from any such authority or regulatory body. We reiterate that our overseas holding structure is transparent, fully disclosed, and compliant with all relevant laws."

The allegations, it said, "are clearly preposterous, irrational, and absurd. We have no hesitation in stating that this is yet another orchestrated and egregious attempt by the same cohorts acting in unison to inflict irreversible damage on our group's reputation and market value."

"The Adani Group remains steadfastly committed to transparency and compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements," it said, adding it "strongly condemns" the allegations.

The Swiss media outlet Gotham City in its report stated that "A ruling by the Federal Criminal Court reveals that the Geneva Public Prosecutor's Office was investigating alleged wrongdoing by the Indian conglomerate Adani well before activist investors from Hindenburg Research made the first accusations."

"More than $310 million belonging to an alleged front man for billionaire Gautam Adani is sequestered in five Swiss banks," it said adding the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland took over the investigation after the case was revealed in the media.

Hindenburg, which had in January last year alleged stock market manipulation and fraud, claimed that criminal court records show in detail how an Adani frontman invested in opaque BVI/Mauritius and Bermuda funds that almost exclusively owned Adani stock.

Adani Group had denied all allegations Hindenburg made in its January 2023 report.