Radiant World allegedly tricked a Jefferies Financial Group Inc. managed fund through a "fraudulent scheme," per a High Court document that was released publicly on Tuesday.
The defendants named are Radiant World Corporation Pte, Radiant World Holding Ltd., founder and majority owner Pinkesh Nahar, Sapphire Minmetals, and its chairman and majority owner Rakesh Sethi. Email requests for comment sent to Jefferies and Radiant World initially received no reply. When contacted by phone on Tuesday, Sethi said he had nothing to add at that time.
The fund says it had arrangements to buy iron ore receivables from both Radiant World and Sapphire Minmetals through credit agreements. Those receivables, per the filing, "ceased to be paid on a timely basis in late 2025 and in early 2026 began to go unpaid." The filing adds, "The Claimant infers that the receivables purportedly assigned to it and which have gone unpaid did not exist and/or were not validly assigned."
After payments slipped, the fund agreed to hold off on action under a forbearance deal with Radiant World Corporation Pte and Radiant World Holding Ltd., in which the companies committed to repay what was owed. The filing says the companies later defaulted on that pact.
Keeping your financial safeguards strong helps your money weather unexpected challenges. Join Briefs Finance CEO Jaspreet Singh on September 29th for a FREE live investor workshop, How to Profit From A Dollar That's Losing its Value, where he shows how we're spotting investment opportunities as the dollar falls. Save your spot.
A judge granted a worldwide freezing order at a private hearing without notice on Aug. 27, later confirmed in a Sept. 2 UK court order that also authorized the fund to seek local freezes in Singapore and Hong Kong. Separately, the fund has asked a Singapore court to freeze assets of Radiant World, Sapphire Minmetals, and their controlling shareholders, with a hearing set for Wednesday.
The claim tops $500 million, though the filing does not explain how that figure is derived. Earlier Bloomberg stories said the fund had under $300 million of exposure to Radiant World and a far smaller amount tied to Sapphire Minmetals. In July, Bloomberg also reported that several major commodity traders stopped transacting with Radiant World over concerns it had used fabricated documents to secure financing. Radiant World has rejected the allegations and maintains that it operates in full compliance with both commercial and legal best practices.
This episode marks another blow to Jefferies and Point Bonita, the group overseeing the fund; they had already started winding down after auto supplier First Brands Group collapsed in a separate case that also featured allegations of extensive invoice fraud. According to its most recent quarterly filing, Jefferies is the fund's manager and owns a 5.9% stake.
For everyday investors, two things stand out: big-ticket trade finance can hinge on paper that must be rock solid, and when those underpinnings crack, disputes turn fast into asset freezes and long legal timelines. The headline number is huge, yet previous reporting pegs the fund's Radiant World exposure as lower, with even smaller ties to Sapphire. The next court dates in Singapore and the existing UK freezes will shape how much money ultimately moves back, and how quickly.
A thoughtful plan and steady oversight help preserve and grow your financial wellbeing. Our CEO Jaspreet Singh is hosting a FREE live investor workshop, How to Profit From A Dollar That's Losing its Value, on September 29th. Sign up free to join him live.
