SoftBank Distrusted Greensill, Feared Being Used as ‘Piggy Bank’

Lex Greensill’s biggest backers at SoftBank Group Corp. were concerned that he “was prone to lying” and saw the Japanese investor as a “piggy bank,” according to a London lawsuit that stems from the collapse of his trade finance firm.

In emails disclosed at the start of the $440 million civil trial, Rajeev Misra, then sitting on the investment committee of SoftBank’s Vision Fund, warned that Lex Greensill was often dishonest and “slippery,” in June 2020. That was mere months after SoftBank had committed $1.5 billion in temporary funding to help support Greensill Capital.