Mahindra Satyam

Mahindra Satyam (formerly Satyam Computer Services Limited) was an Indian information technology (IT) services company based in Hyderabad, India, offering software development, system maintenance, packaged software integration and engineering design services. Satyam Computer Services was listed on the Pink Sheets, the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange and provided services to a wide range of customers including 185 Fortune 500 companies.[1]

This article is about Mahindra Satyam prior to its 2013 merger into Tech Mahindra. For the resulting company, see Tech Mahindra.

Mahindra Satyam
TypePublic company
IndustryIT services, IT consulting
FateMerged into Tech Mahindra
SuccessorTech Mahindra
Founded1987
Defunct2013
HeadquartersHyderabad, India
ServicesIT, business consulting and outsourcing services

In January 2009 the company's founder and chairman by Ramalinga Raju admitted inflating the company's assets by $1 billion, leading to criminal charges and a collapse of the company's stock price.[2][3] In April 2009 the $14 billion Mahindra Group's IT arm, Tech Mahindra, purchased a major stake in the company and in June 2009 the company renamed itself Mahindra Satyam.[4] Mahindra Satyam merged with Tech Mahindra on 24 June 2013.[5]

History

Satyam Computer Services was founded in 1987 and by 2008 had revenues of over $2 billion, employing 52,000 IT professionals across the world.[6] It was one of India's five top IT companies, and focused on the enterprise segment.[7] It had an extensive client list including 185 Fortune 500 companies.[1] The company was the subject of what was called India's biggest corporate scandal in January 2009 when then-chairman Byrraju Ramalinga Raju admitted in a letter to the Securities and Exchange Board of India that the corporate accounts had been falsified, adding approximately $1 billion to the company's cash and cash-related assets.[2][8] The government appointed a board to oversee the sale of the company.[7] Tech Mahindra offered to purchase a majority stake in April, 2009,[9] and the company was rebranded as Mahindra Satyam in June 2009.[4]

Tech Mahindra announced its plan to merge with Mahindra Satyam on 21 March 2012, after the boards of both companies gave their approval.[10] The Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange,[11] and the Competition Commission of India (CCI) also approved.[12] Shareholders unanimously approved the move in January 2013.[13] The merger ran into delays due to ambiguity over jurisdiction between investigating agencies and the government,[14] and two tax cases totaling over ₹ 27 billion.[15] On 11 June 2013 Andhra Pradesh High Court approved the merger, after the Bombay high court gave its approval.[16][17][18]

A new management structure was announced for the new entity, led by Anand Mahindra as Chairman, Vineet Nayyar as Vice Chairman and C. P. Gurnani as the CEO and Managing Director.[19][20][21] The merger was announced to be complete on 25 June 2013, creating India's fifth largest software services company with a turnover of US$2.7 billion.[22][23] Mahindra Satyam shareholders received two shares of Tech Mahindra stock for every 17 shares of Mahindra Satyam stock they owned.[24] Shares in the new entity began trading on 12 July 2013.[25][26]

On 24 July 2013, a division bench of Andhra Pradesh High Court admitted a petition filed by Ekadanta Greenfields and Saptaswara Agro Farms challenging the Mahindra Satyam-Tech Mahindra merger order.[27] The two firms argued that their objections to the merger had not been considered in full.

Finances

After the scandal hit, the companies revenue collapsed and the new new chairman, Vineet Nayyar, suggested that a turnaround would take three years.[28] By the April–June quarter of 2011, the company was profitable once again.[29][30] In 2013 Mahindra Satyam declared a 30% dividend. Nayyar commented "The turnaround of Mahindra Satyam is symbolically and practically complete. The merger (with Tech Mahindra), which is in its penultimate phase, will open a new chapter for the company. We thank all stakeholders for supporting us during this crucial phase".[31][32]

Controversies

Tax evasion

Before the asset inflation scandal hit, the Income Tax Department had issued notices to the company seeking ₹ 6.17 billion tax, for the assessment years from 2003–04 to 2008–09 after disallowing exemptions claimed by the software firm. The Central Board of Direct Taxes attached the properties of Mahindra Satyam on 30 January 2012,[33] after issuing notices to the company seeking payment of the tax.[33] The Andhra Pradesh High Court stayed the order in February 2012.[34]

Maytas acquisition

In December 2008, Satyam founder B. Ramalinga Raju made a final attempt to conceal his falsification of the Satyam Computer Services balance sheets by acquiring Maytas Infrastructure and Maytas Properties for $1.6 billion, despite concerns raised by independent directors.[35] Both companies were founded by Raju's family members (Maytas is "Satyam" reversed) and were owned by Raju's sons. This eventually led to a review of the deal by the government,[36] and a veiled criticism by the Vice President of India Hamid Ansari.[37] Several of Satyam's clients responded by re-evaluating their relationship with the company.[38] Satyam's investors lost about ₹3,300 crore (equivalent to ₹74 billion or US$1.0 billion in 2019) in the related panic selling, as Satyam's shares fell 55% on the New York Stock Exchange.[39] Four members of the board of directors resigned on 29 December 2008.[40]

Accounting scandal
Main article: Satyam scandal

On 7 January 2009, Chairman Raju resigned after publicly announcing his involvement in a massive accounting fraud, in which he had inflated the company's cash assets by over $1 billion.[2] In a letter to the Securities and Exchange Board of India, he explained that "what started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years ... It has attained unmanageable proportions as the size of the company operations grew significantly".

In 2015, Raju was sentenced to seven years in jail and fined about $800,000.[2]

See also

References
  1. Howlett, Dennis (15 January 2009). "Satyam scandal - the fallout". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  2. Balachandran, Manu. "The Satyam scandal: How India's biggest corporate fraud unfolded". Quartz India. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  3. Scott, Mark (21 March 2012). "Tech Mahindra to Merge With Satyam". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  4. "Satyam Computers is now Mahindra Satyam". Hindustan Times. 21 June 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. Alvares, Clifford (15 October 2013). "Tech Mahindra goes for growth by acquisition". Business Standard. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  6. "Satyam: Just what went wrong?". Rediff. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  7. Sangani, Priyanka (5 April 2019). "How the Satyam takeover episode taught Tech Mahindra many valuable business lessons". The Economic Times. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  8. "SEC Charges Satyam Computer Services With Financial Fraud". sec.gov. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  9. "Tech Mahindra acquires Satyam outbidding L&T". The Hindu. 14 April 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  10. Kumar, John Satish (21 March 2012). "Tech Mahindra, Satyam get nod to merge". LiveMint. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  11. Mahindra Satyam-TechM to take 150 top leaders to Bangkok Archived 15 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  12. High Court orders shareholders' meeting on MSat-Tech Mahindra merger
  13. Mahindra Satyam shareholders approve merger with Tech Mahindra
  14. "Mah Satyam, Tech Mahindra merger may be delayed". Moneycontrol. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  15. Mah Satyam-Tech Mah to appoint bankers to fasten merger. Moneycontrol.com (30 August 2011). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  16. Mahindra Satyam, Tech Mahindra merger gets AP High Court's nod - Times Of India. The Times of India. (11 June 2013). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  17. Andhra Pradesh High Court clears merger of Mahindra Satyam with Tech Mahindra - Economic Times. The Economic Times. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  18. "Satyam merger on course". The Telegraph, India. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  19. M-Satyam, Tech Mahindra hope to merge in four weeks : Market, News - India Today. India Today.intoday.in (11 June 2013). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  20. Will complete Tech Mah, Satyam merger in 8 weeks: Nayyar. Moneycontrol.com (11 June 2013). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  21. MSat-Tech Mahindra merger gets court nod. The Hindu (11 June 2013). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  22. "Mahindra Satyam merges with Tech Mahindra; becomes 5th biggest IT firm". Zee News. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  23. "Tech Mahindra, Satyam Computer complete merger". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  24. "Satyam is no more; to live on as part of Tech Mahindra". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  25. Tech Mahindra completes share swap, issued capital goes up - Rediff.com Business. Rediff.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  26. Tech Mahindra completes share swap - The Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  27. Kurmanath, K. V. "Two firms appeal against TechM, Mahindra Satyam merger order". @businessline. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  28. indiaearnings.moneycontrol.com
  29. Press Trust of India (9 August 2011). "Mahindra Satyam reports Rs 225-cr profit in Q1 - NDTV Profit". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  30. Mahindra Satyam Q2 net soars; Europe crisis a worry. Moneycontrol.com (11 November 2011). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  31. Mahindra Satyam quarterly net profit down by 15%, sets dividend at 30% Archived 27 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Financialexpress.com (17 May 2013). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  32. Mahindra Satyam Q4 net down by 15%, declares 30% dividend. Zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  33. "Mahindra Satyam gets attachment order from I-T dept - Latest News | Gadgets Now". Gadget Now. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  34. "Mahindra Satyam says HC has stayed I-T order to attach co assets - The Economic Times on Mobile". The Economic Times Mobile. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  35. Reddy, Ch. Prashanth; Mohan, B. Krishna (3 December 2009). "Raju pressured Satyam board". Rediff. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  36. "Centre refers Satyam deal to ROC | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Ist. 20 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  37. Dasgupta, Ashok (21 December 2008). "Plain-speak by Hamid Ansari on governance". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  38. Mishra, Bibhu Ranjan (18 December 2008). "Satyam clients likely to re-evaluate contracts". Business Standard. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  39. "Satyam investors lose Rs 3300 cr in a day". Mumbai: NDTV Convergence. 17 December 2008. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008.
  40. "Fourth independent director M Rao resigns from Satyam". The Economic Times. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
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