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India’s Gautam Adani has reclaimed his crown as the richest man in Asia, just days after a court rejected calls for a special probe into a US short-seller’s allegations of stock manipulation and fraud.
Adani’s net worth stood at $97.6 billion on Friday, rising by $7.67 billion in one day, according to the updated figures on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Now ranked the 12th richest person in the world, the businessman has bumped off Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who became Asia’s wealthiest after the fraud claims against Adani came up.
US investor Hindenburg Research had released a report accusing Adani of pulling off “the largest con in corporate history”.
The claims eroded investor confidence, and days after the report came out, the billionaire tycoon’s businesses lost around $100 billion in market value.
On Wednesday, India’s Supreme Court directed the country’s market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), to wrap up its probe into the Adani Group and that no further investigations are necessary.
The Indian businessman hailed the court ruling by declaring on social media that the “truth has prevailed”. “I am grateful to those who stood by us. Our humble contribution to India’s growth story will continue,” he wrote on Twitter.
Adani’s current net worth has surpassed the fortunes of his closest rival by a narrow margin, with Ambani now valued at $97 billion, making him the 13th richest person on earth.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Brinda Darasha)