Abraaj's `Unusual' Ways Revealed as PwC Seeks Missing Documents - Bloomberg

Abraaj's `Unusual' Ways Revealed as PwC Seeks Missing Documents - Bloomberg:

Abraaj Holdings had an “unusual” business model reliant on short-term borrowing, and key financial statements are missing or nonexistent, according to one of the firms tasked with salvaging the Dubai-based private-equity firm’s assets.

In a report seen by Bloomberg News, PricewaterhouseCoopers said it has “been unable to obtain standalone annual financial statements or management accounts for the company.” It noted “multiple layers of leverage” as the company borrowed to offset a "long-running liquidity shortfall between the investment management fees and operating expenses.”

This is “an unusual practice for a structure operating in a private equity capacity,” PwC said. “It creates a highly unstable business model, sensitive to volatility and potential liquidity crises, particularly where the cost base cannot be funded by ongoing revenues,” according to the report, which was filed to a Cayman Islands court on July 11.