NEW DELHI: Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband Dhaval Buch are defending themselves and putting out facts that contradict the allegations of Congress, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, she said, “Quite a few of the allegations have been answered... I think the facts will have to be taken on board.” On being asked whether she was satisfied with Madhabi Puri Buch’s answers, Sitharaman said, “I’m not here to judge that.”
In a joint statement issued last Friday, Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband Dhaval Buch had denied the allegations of impropriety and conflict of interest levelled by Congress, saying they are false, malicious and motivated.
The statement said Madhabi Buch never dealt with any file involving Agora Advisory and Agora Partners -- the advisories where she held 99% and continued to earn revenue even after she joined the market regulator body Sebi in 2017.
The statement added she never handled files involving the Mahindra Group, Pidilite Industries, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, Alvarez and Marsal, and Sembcorp -- the firms that had employed her husband at some time during her stint at Sebi -- as also that pertaining to her previous employer ICICI Bank at any stage after joining the regulator.