A director at Mauritius-based Silver Bank and a director at its sole shareholder have both previously worked for Indian businessman Prateek Gupta, the report said, citing documents seen by the FT.
The Bank of Mauritius confirmed to the FT that the counterparty involved in the alleged fraud against Trafigura is linked to one of the ultimate beneficial owners of Silver Bank. The central bank will take any necessary regulatory action it may deem appropriate in light of its current examination, it told the newspaper. Bank of Mauritius and Silver Bank did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment. Trafigura has launched legal proceedings against Gupta and a group of companies connected to and controlled by him after having found that some nickel cargoes it received did not contain the metal. Gupta's lawyers have said as the matter is before the courts, their client would respond in court. (Reporting by Sneha Bhowmik and Yana Gaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Sonali Paul)
