ICAI seeks info from Sebi, Reliance Infra

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has written to Reliance Infrastructure and the stock market regulator for more information on the consent order that allowed the company to settle a probe by Securities and Exchange Board of India through payment of penalty.

The letters were meant to assess if there had been any professional misconduct by any auditors of Reliance Infra and Reliance National Resources Ltd that led to the alleged misrepresentation of investments by these companies.

"The letters were issued soon after the consent order came since the company had said they were paying a penalty to settle the Sebi probe. The response is awaited," said Amarjit Chopra, president, ICAI.

While ICAI has no powers to seek information from companies or firms, it can probe a case of professional misconduct by its members.

In its letter, it has sought to understand the reasons behind the companies' voluntary decision to rotate its auditors every three years.

The decision had also seen the auditors, who were in charge of vetting the company books during the time the alleged misrepresentation of financial investments took place, discontinue responsibilities soon after the consent order.

The institute has also asked Sebi whether it had found any professional misconduct on the part of ICAI member auditors who were responsible for handling the companies' accounts.

"We have requested Sebi to get back to us if there is anything we need to look into," a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Chopra said ICAI had completed its inquiry against two of the six auditors against whom ICAI had had found prima facie case of misconduct due to their involvement in auditing the account books of erstwhile Satyam Computers.

Of the six auditors, two were Satyam employees whom the others were part of Pricewaterhouse and its Indian associate Lovelock and Lewes.

The auditors against which ICAI completed its inquiry were employees of Lovelock, Chopra said.