ARCELORMITTAL SEEKS DISQUALIFICATION OF NUMETAL BID FOR ESSAR STEEL

Locked in a direct fight to acquire Essar Steel, ArcelorMittal on Thursday sought disqualification of Russia’s VTB Capital-backed NuMetal Ltd, alleging that the firm was acting in concert with delinquent promoters of Essar group.

When first bids for loan defaulter Essar Steel were called in February, Rewant owned 25 per cent in Mauritius-based investment vehicle NuMetal. VTB Group bought out Aurora Trust to cure its ineligibility as bankruptcy rules disqualify owners of distressed assets from bidding for those assets in the insolvency process.

At a hearing before a two-member bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for ArcelorMittal, said “NuMetal and Rewant Ruia are alter ego of each other. They both are the same.” He alleged that the two are acting in concert with each other.

The NCLAT is hearing cross-petitions filed by NuMetal and ArcelorMittal challenging each other’s eligibility to bid for Essar Steel which is being auctioned after the company defaulted on payment of Rs 51,800 crore loans to lenders. NuMetal wants ArcelorMittal disqualified because it was the promoter of loan defaulting companies, Uttam Galva Steel and KKS Petron. The world’s largest steelmaker says it has paid Rs 7,000 crore of loans of Uttam Galva Steel to cure its ineligibility.

Arguments before NCLAT today remained inconclusive and hearing would resume on July 9. “Today’s argument was about why ArcelorMittal believes Numetal should be ineligible...,” a spokesperson of ArcelorMittal told over the phone.

The counsel in his argument said there is a connection between all three and Section 29 A of the Insolvency Bankruptcy Code (IBC) does not allow connected parties to bid for any stresses asset, the person said.

Essar Steel