Essar Steel insolvency case: Lenders to gain more, Arcelor tells NCLT

Business Standard Essar Steel insolvency case: Lenders to gain more, Arcelor tells NCLT

ArcelorMittal told the two-members NCLT Bench contrary to the bank's claims its resolution plan was openly negotiated by members of the CoC to include an upfront payment of Rs 39,500 crore

Companies News: Defending itself against Standard Chartered Bank from diluting its bid for Essar Steel, ArcelorMittal on Thursday told the National Company Law Tribunal’s Ahmedabad Bench that lenders would gain more from the deal.

The bank alleged that as against an upfront payment of Rs 42,000 crore, in addition to working capital adjustments of Rs 2,500 crore, the LN Mittal-led firm negotiated its bid downwards in collaboration with State Bank of Indialed Committee of Creditors (CoC).

The bank said it has been discriminated in ArcelorMittal's resolution plan, which both the firm and the CoC have refuted.

ArcelorMittal told the two-members NCLT Bench, comprising adjudicating authorities Harihar Prakash Chaturvedi and Manorama Kumari, contrary to the bank’s claims its resolution plan was openly negotiated by members of the CoC to include an upfront payment of Rs 39,500 crore as well as a guaranteed working capital adjustments worth Rs 2,500 crore. The company said it was committed to passing on any additional working capital accrued with Essar Steel to lenders at the time of acquisition as valued by an independent auditor.

"Ordinarily a successor gets the working capital but what we did was to give away this working capital to lenders. Other than Rs 42000 crore, I also complied with Supreme Court (SC) ruling to settle dues worth Rs 7000 crore (in Uttam Galva and KSS Petron) as well as infusing Rs 8000 crore as equity," ArcelorMittal's legal counsel told the NCLT bench.