ED files FEMA case against BBC India for foreign exchange violations

The probe is essentially looking at purported foreign direct investment (FDI) violations by the BBC India, sources said

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in India has been asked to provide financial details in connection with a new investigation into alleged foreign exchange violations. Earlier this year, the BBC faced a tax investigation.

The BBC's foreign remittances are being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), sources told news agency PTI.

The ED has filed a case against BBC India under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The probe agency has also asked the British broadcaster to furnish its books of accounts and financial statements, sources added.

The latest development comes months after the Income Tax Department surveyed the BBC and sent teams to the broadcaster's offices in Delhi and Mumbai over allegations of tax evasion, profit diversion, and rule violations.

Senior BBC employees were required to stay in the offices overnight to answer questions during the survey.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the administrative body for the Income Tax Department, had stated that the income and profits shown by various BBC group entities were "not commensurate" with the scale of their operations in India, and that tax had not been paid on certain remittances by its foreign entities.

(With agency inputs)