Chopperdeal: Will verify process to summon foreigners, says ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today told a Delhi court that they would verify the process of serving summons to two Italian nationals, who were summoned as accused along with others in a money-laundering case related to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal.
The agency told the court that they would inform it about the process of serving summons to the foreign nationals, Gerosa Carlo Valentino Ferdinand and Haschke Guido Ralph.
"Complainant (ED's officer) said that he shall verify the present process for serving A-3 (Gerosa) and A-4 (Haschke) as they are foreign nationals," Special CBI Judge V K Gupta said.

During the hearing, businessman Gautam Khaitan and his wife Ritu Khaitan, who were also chargesheeted by the ED in connection with the case along with the two foreigners and Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix Info Solutions Pvt Ltd, appeared before the court.
Gautam Khaitan, who was the only accused arrested in the case, was earlier granted bail by the court.
During the proceedings today, Ritu Khaitan moved a bail plea and the court fixed it for arguments on February 2.

"Put up for February 2 for reply and arguments on the bail plea of A-2 (Ritu), furnishing of procedure of process to A-3 and A-4...," the judge said.

The court had summoned these five accused after taking cognisance of the ED's charge sheet, which charged them for offences under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Gautam Khaitan was the first person to be arrested in September last year by ED in the chopper deal case in which CBI is also running a parallel probe.