Supreme Court has cleared Sandesara Brothers to settle massive bank fraud case for one-third of alleged debt.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that India’s Supreme Court has opened the door for billionaire brothers Nitin and Chetan Sandesara to resolve one of the country’s biggest alleged bank fraud cases by paying roughly a third of what authorities claim they owe.
Under the ruling, the brothers can settle for about $570 million despite liabilities estimated at $1.6 billion, potentially bringing an end to years of criminal investigations pursued across multiple countries.
Legal experts say the decision could set a precedent that allows other economic offenders to negotiate similar settlements, leaving lenders unable to recover full debts.
“This mirrors the practice in some foreign jurisdictions where offenders pay fines instead of facing trial,” Supreme Court lawyer Debopriyo Moulik told Reuters.
For the Sandesara brothers, the verdict represents India’s closest attempt yet to resolve a scandal spanning Mumbai, Abuja, and offshore energy fields in West Africa yet their business empire abroad continues to flourish.
Living Large in Nigeria Despite India’s Fraud Allegations
Since fleeing India in 2017, the Sandesaras have built one of Nigeria’s largest independent oil companies, transforming a once-small set of Niger Delta licences into a major African energy operation producing tens of thousands of barrels of crude daily.
Their flagship firms, Sterling Oil Exploration & Production Co. and Sterling Global Oil Resources Ltd produce about 50,000 barrels per day, according to a 2023 Bloomberg report, under contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
Their success in Nigeria, coupled with the country’s refusal to extradite them, has long frustrated Indian officials and highlighted how strategic and commercial ties have shielded the brothers from prosecution at home.
Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, has continued to welcome the brothers even as India labels them fugitives behind what investigators describe as “one of the country’s biggest financial scams.”
How the Sandesaras Built a Nigerian Oil Empire
After shifting focus from India in the mid-2010s, the brothers expanded their operations from modest Niger Delta licences into a fully integrated drilling and crude-export enterprise.
They moved their headquarters to Lagos, employed the former head of Nigeria’s petroleum regulator, and secured major state-backed contracts that firmly positioned them among Nigeria’s top oil exporters.
By 2019, Nigerian authorities disclosed that taxes and royalties paid by companies linked to the Sandesaras made up 2% of national revenue.
Their operations have also avoided Nigeria’s notorious pipeline vandalism by transporting crude via barges to a floating offshore storage vessel, allowing them to sustain exports while many competitors were crippled by oil theft and militant attacks.
Nigeria has further deepened its ties with the brothers. In 2024, officials announced the discovery of up to 1 billion barrels of crude in the country’s arid northeast, part of a multibillion-dollar oil expansion strategy involving contractors tied to the Sandesara network.
India Still Sees Fraud, Not Success
Indian authorities maintain that the brothers built their now-defunct domestic conglomerate, Sterling Group, using falsified documents, inflated asset values, and shell companies designed to divert borrowed funds overseas.
The Sandesaras deny the allegations, claiming they are victims of political persecution.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleges their companies owe more than 140 billion rupees ($1.7 billion) to major state banks including State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, and Bank of Baroda.
A 2019 charge sheet accused the family of funneling loan proceeds abroad, including into their Nigerian oil ventures.
Some of the same banks later pursued them internationally, winning UK High Court judgments in 2018 and 2021 ordering repayment of nearly $60 million linked to the Sterling Oil business.
India’s extradition request hit a wall in 2018 when Nigerian authorities refused to arrest the brothers, calling the allegations “political,” according to documents published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and reviewed by Bloomberg.
CBI filings later revealed the brothers applied for Nigerian citizenship, further cementing their foothold in the country.