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Vedanta to delist Madras Aluminium (Malco)

January 20, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

Vedanta Resources Plc has decided to delist Madras Aluminium Company (Malco). The Anil Agarwal promoted Vedanta owns 80% of Malco’s equity and has sent a proposal to its board to approve a delisting proposal under Sebi’s delisting guidelines. It will have to make an offer to Malco’s shareholders through a reverse book-building process. It will set a floor price while shareholders will be free to offer shares at a higher price. The price determined through the book-building process will be the final price, which Vedanta is free to accept or reject.

Siemens’ IT unit SISL sold at low valuation

January 14, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

Siemens Information Systems Ltd (SISL) seems to have been sold at a relatively cheap valuation, by Siemens, to a privately owned company of Siemens AG. Siemens said that SISL, which had revenues of Rs 994 crore and PBT of Rs 73 crore for the year ended September 2008, has been valued at Rs 449 crore.

Satyam’s board takes baby steps

January 12, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

Satyam Computer Services’ new board held its first press conference, where it faced a barrage of questions. Towards the end, Deepak Parekh, eminent banker and a special director on Satyam Computer Services’ board lost his cool. After spending some few hours in the company today, the enormity of the task seemed to have sunk in.

Wipro barred from World Bank contracts

January 12, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

“Wipro discloses vendor status with World Bank”. That’s the headline of the release issued to the Bombay Stock Exchange. But for Satyam’s run-in with the World Bank, few would have opened the attachment. Its contents are a shocker The World Bank has declared Wipro ‘ineligible’, in June 2007, to bid for direct contracts for four years ending in 2011. Ineligible is a mild term for a ban, which is what it is. Wipro’s disclosure shows a can of worms waiting to be prised open in several parts of corporate India.

Satyam’s new board inspires confidence, but needs reinforcements

January 12, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

The government moved swiftly and nominated three directors for the new board of Satyam Computer Services. Satyam’s three new directors are HDFC chairman, Deepak Parekh, a veteran businessman and troubleshooter; Kiran Karnik, Nasscom’s past chairman and CS Achuthan, the former presiding officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal. These are good choices to inspire confidence.

Satyam’s board dismissed, government nominated board to step in after a week

January 9, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

The government acted in time to stop tomorrow’s board meeting of Satyam Computer Services. Otherwise, a 3-member board would have met tomorrow, to consider the resignations of its chairman and managing director and discuss options before the company. This is the same board, down from its original strength of nine, which has presided over the worst corporate scam in the new millennium in India. Any decision of this board would have been viewed with suspicion.

Yawning gap in Satyam’s balance sheet

January 8, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

Corrected: The Assets’ side total is Rs 2889 crore and not Rs 2936 crore as was earlier stated, in the last paragraph.

Sun Pharma requests a judgement from Israel’s Supreme Court

January 8, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

Sun said, in a SEC filing, it has extended the tender offer closing date from Jan 9 to Jan 30. It also said that it has informed the Supreme Court that its negotiations to reach a settlement have been unsuccessful. It is now awaiting the court’s decision in the matter. The dispute concerns the price at which Sun will acquire Taro’s shares from promoters and minority shareholders. Initially, Sun had offered $7.75 a share, which it then hiked to $9.50 a share, but Taro responded first with an offer to conduct a shareholder referendum to decide the price.

Satyam’s options are not many

January 7, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

Can Satyam continue to function under a tainted board? Satyam’s board was already a thinly manned one, with just five members. Two are the promoters B Ramalinga Raju and his brother B Rama Raju who have given their resignations. Ram Mynampati is the senior executive on the board. He has been with Satyam since 1999. The company website says he is the president, commercial and healthcare, since October 2002. It is very difficult to imagine him as the interim CEO, as Raju’s letter proposes, in a situation where trust in its board has evaporated.

Sun Pharmaceuticals refuses Taro’s $15 a share offer

January 7, 2009August 20, 2014Editor

Sun Pharmaceuticals has sent a letter to the stock exchange, rejecting the offer put forth by Taro proposing $15 a share in the tender offer. In a letter, in what has now become routine, Sun Pharmaceuticals rejects the referendum proposal. It also addresses Taro’s latest offer of taking the merger price up to $15 a share.