Apollo Global scrutinized over expenses scandal, FT reports

In the 2020 trial, Mohammed Ali Rashid, a former senior partner at Apollo Global, was accused of violating his duty to investors, Sujeet Indap of The Financial Times. At the time, Judge Kevin Castel concluded Apollo had been mistakenly and systematically charging expenses to the underlying funds, reducing their net returns and increasing Apollo’s cut of overall profits. Castle ruled Apollo’s accounting department deserved “significant blame,” but still ruled Rashid violated U.S. securities law. Now, in 2024, Apollo’s practices are back under the microscope, with an appeals court recently reversing Castel’s decision, agreeing with Rashid that the private equity firm’s expense system was broken enough at the time that Rashid could not have anticipated the victims of his illicit spending spree were Apollo’s partners.