Eike Batista, Brazil's richest man before the 2013 collapse of his energy and commodities empire, said he has renegotiated 75 billion reais ($24 billion) of debt with creditors, and brought down his liabilities to nil.
"I was generous, instead of being fighting for five years," the former billionaire told Brazilian network RedeTV! "I want to rebuild everything again, that's why I am back."
After making him one of the wealthiest people in the world, Batista's startups - from oil to mining and port developing - flopped amid mounting debt, lower-than-expected revenue and an investor confidence crisis. Four of the six listed units he founded were forced into bankruptcy protection. The 58-year-old one-time speedboat racer has been selling assets to repay debt since late 2013 as creditors foreclosed on collateral.
Batista, who at his peak was worth more than $30 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, said he paid his last debt with Brazil's national development bank on Monday, adding that he doesn't owe anything else to the lender known as BNDES. The bank didn't immediately reply to a request for comment on Batista's statement during weekend hours.
"Eike Batista zeroed his debt," the entrepreneur said about himself. "Now he has some wealth to start up."
