Khaleej Times

Shetty and 5 others face criminal charges of fraud

- NMC (ILL) HEALTH Issac John issacjohn@khaleejtim­es.com

dubai — Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which has the largest exposure of Dh3 billion to NMC Healthcare, has filed a criminal complaint alleging “fraud and forgery” against six people, including founder BR Shetty and former CEO Prasanth Manghat, linked to the embattled group.

ADCB confirmed the move in a statement on Wednesday but did not identify the accused.

However, a copy of the complaint obtained by Khaleej Times identified, besides Shetty and

Manghat, the other four accused as Suresh Kumar, Prashanth Shenoy, Saeed Mohamed Butti Mohamed Al Qebaisi and Khaleefa Butti Omair Yousif Ahmad Al Muhairi.

ADCB said it was “acting on its own behalf and on behalf of its subsidiary Al Hilal Bank and its acquired bank United National Bank”. The charges levelled against the accused include forgery of financial records, forgery and use of record, and fraud.

dubai — Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which has largest exposure of Dh3 billion to NMC Healthcare, has filed a criminal complaint, alleging “fraud and forgery” against six people, including founder BR Shetty, and former CEO Prasnath Manghat, linked to the embattled group.

ADCB confirmed the move in a statement on Wednesday but did not identify the accused.

However, a copy of the complaint obtained by Khaleej Times, identified, besides Shetty and Manghat, revealed that the other four accused as Suresh Kumar, Prashanth Shenoy, Saeed Mohamed Butti Mohamed Al Qebaisi and Khaleefa Butti Omair Yousif Ahmad Al Muhairi.

ADCB said it was “acting on its own behalf and on behalf of its subsidiary Al Hilal Bank and its acquired bank United National Bank”. The charges levelled against the accused include forgery of financial records and fraud.

“The fraud was committed as a result of collusion between the accused to fabricate and use forged financial statements in which they had willfully misstated the accumulate­d liabilitie­s of the NMC Group,” said the complaint. Besides, “the accused presented false valuations to ADCB and its subsidiari­es and materially misstated their ability to service the best such that the complainan­t was fraudulent­ly deceived into granting facilities which NMC drew down…” ADCB said in its complaint. Shetty, who is India, told Khaleej

that he had worked with all

UAE banks exposure to health firm

lending banks for decades as they were key partners that helped him build his businesses in the UAE.

“As I said last week, given my own legal and forensic investigat­ions are now starting to produce some findings, and in considerat­ion of some of the misleading and false allegation­s that have made against me, I will

Present market value of NMC Healthcare be looking to respond in the appropriat­e manner and with the appropriat­e authoritie­s both in the UAE and elsewhere. As I stated last week I am absolutely determined to bring to light the full facts, and the whole truth, around what has transpired as soon as possible.”

Apart from requesting for the opening of a criminal case against

Former executive chairman of NMC Healthcare

the accused for the offences cited, the lender pleaded to the public prosecutio­n to conduct “an investigat­ion into the accused and their involvemen­t in the offences outlined in the complaint and issue a travel ban to prevent them from travelling” and direct “the central bank to freeze all accounts belonging to the accused and all their family members, up to three degrees removed, as well as private company accounts belonging to them, to prevent disposal of assets.”

The lender also requested the prosecutio­n to direct “all economic department­s and free zone authoritie­s in the UAE to identify and freeze all companies or economic entities belonging to the accused, or members of their families to prevent the disposal of assets.

Faisal Belhoul, chairman of Ithmar Capital Partners, who had to quit within days after taking over the reins of NMC Health as its executive chairman last week, said on Tuesday it was crucial that “an investigat­ion into all wrongdoing­s at the company should be pursued”.

An investigat­ion into all wrongdoing­s at the company should be pursued Faisal Belhoul,

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