Mauritius regulator says fund at heart of Hindenburg allegations against Sebi chief not domiciled in Mauritius

Madhabi Puri Buch

Financial Services Commission (FSC) of Mauritius on August 13 said the offshore fund at the heart of the conflict of interest allegation Hindenburg Research levelled against Sebi chief is not domiciled in the Island nation, and that it does not permit the creation of shell companies.

In a statement, FSC said it has taken cognizance of the contents of the report published by Hindenburg Research on August 10, 2024, wherein mention has been made of 'Mauritius-based shell entities' and Mauritius as a 'tax haven'.

"The report of Hindenburg has further cited 'IPE Plus Fund' is a small offshore Mauritius Fund and 'IPE Plus Fund 1, a fund registered in Mauritius'. We wish to clarify that IPE Plus Fund and IPE Plus Fund 1 are not licensees of the FSC and are not domiciled in Mauritius," it said.

Hindenburg on Saturday alleged that Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband opened an account in 2015 with a wealth management firm in Singapore to invest an undisclosed sum of money in a Mauritius-registered offshoot of a Bermuda-based fund.

The Mauritian fund was run by an Adani director and its ultimate parent was the vehicle used by two Adani associates to round-trip funds and inflate stock prices.

FSC, the integrated regulator for the non-bank financial services sector and global business, denied the fund being registered in Mauritius.

FSC said the legislative framework in Mauritius does not permit the creation of shell companies.

"Mauritius has a robust framework for global business companies. All global business companies licensed by the FSC have to meet substance requirements on an ongoing basis as per section 71 of the Financial Services Act, which is strictly monitored by the FSC," the FSC said.

FSC stated that Mauritius strictly complies with international best practices and has been rated as compliant with the standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

"As per the peer review conducted by the OECD Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, the OECD is satisfied that Mauritius does not have any harmful features in its tax regimes, thus recognising Mauritius as a well-regulated, transparent and compliant jurisdiction. Therefore, Mauritius cannot be termed as a tax haven," it added.