SHANGHAI—Six executives of heavily indebted China Evergrande Group have returned funds from early redemptions of the company’s investment products, the property group said on Saturday.
Evergrande, in a liquidity crisis with over $300 billion in liabilities as offshore bondholders fear an imminent default, has not spoken publicly about missing recent interest payments to bondholders.
The redemption occurred earlier this year and all funds were returned in full before Friday, the company said in a statement. It said it has imposed punishment and held the six accountable, but gave no details.
Between May 1 and Sept. 7, the six executives made early redemptions of 12 investment products, but their identities were not disclosed, and no details on the nature of the products were provided.
The company has epitomized China’s freewheeling era of borrowing and building. Uncertainty about its ability to meet funding obligations—equal to 2 percent of China’s gross domestic product—has sent jitters through markets.
The group has been hit by recent ratings downgrades, with both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings warning of the risk of default.
By Engen Tham
