Mumbai: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said it is undergoing a forensic audit of its financial statements as ordered by India’s markets regulator.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India has asked for a forensic audit of the company’s financial statements for three fiscal years to March 2018, India’s biggest drugmaker told exchanges in a late evening filing Thursday without specifying the reason. The shares fell 3% to 439.35 rupees at 9:23 a.m. in Mumbai.
The latest probe points to mounting challenges for the billionaire Dilip Shanghvi-controlled drugmaker after whistle-blower complaints on corporate governance lapses triggered a stock slide last year and forced the firm to tweak some of its business contracts to contain the crisis. The latest regulatory action was disclosed after a query by exchanges asking the company to confirm local news reports that Sun had been asked to conduct the forensic audit following the complaints.
“Sentimentally things will remain negative at the present juncture,” said Surya Patra, vice president at Phillipcapital India Pvt. in Mumbai. “What is not known is the outcome of the investigation, and if there will be some action taken by Sebi. The basis of the forensic audit is also not known.”
Tycoon Aims to Fix Crisis at Sun That Burnt $3 Billion Value
Sun Pharma had swung into action early this year to quell the crisis of confidence, triggered by the whistle-blower complaints alleging that its founder Shanghvi was wringing extra financial benefits from the company’s operations through related party transactions.
Shanghvi had denied wrongdoing in a December conference call.
The company is “committed to adhering to all applicable legal and statutory requirements,” it said in the filing on Thursday.
Also read: China’s war on healthcare costs opens big window for India’s Sun Pharmaceuticals