Page 58 - Enforcement Directorate

CBI allowed to question Rana in Ezeego One Travels & Tours loan fraud case

A court here has allowed the CBI to question Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor in connection with a loan granted to Ezeego One Travels and Tours Limited (EOTTL) by the private sector lender. Kapoor, 65, former MD and CEO of Yes Bank, is in judicial custody following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in March 2020 in a money laundering case linked to financial irregularities at the bank. He is currently lodged in the Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai. The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday told additional sessions judge B D Shelke that it wanted to question Kapoor in the case related to the EOTTL loan, registered in October 2020 on a complaint filed by Yes Bank. "Criminal complicity" of Kapoor, who was the MD and CEO of Yes Bank during the relevant period, came to light during investigation, said special public prosecutor Ashish Bilgaiyan. At Kapoor's behest, the bank sanctioned a loan of Rs 1060 crore to EOTTL (a sister concern of Cox & Kings) despite the

Delhi court extends ED custody of three vivo-India executives by one day

A Delhi court on Thursday extended by one day the ED custody of three vivo-India executives in a money laundering case against the Chinese smartphone maker and others. The court extended the custody of interim CEO of vivo-India Hong Xuquan alias Terry, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal on an application moved by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The accused were produced before the court on expiry of their five-day ED custody granted earlier. The accused were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The federal agency had earlier arrested four people -- mobile company Lava International's MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, and chartered accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik -- in the case. The ED had filed a charge-sheet against these four in a special PMLA court in Delhi. The court recently took cognisance of the charge-sheet.

Many Indian HNIs being asked by foreign banks to shut accounts: Report

Two British banks, one Swiss bank and a leading Emirates lender have closed the accounts of these Indians in the last two months

Probe underway in 2005-06 land deal of Priyanka Gandhi, Robert Vadra: ED

Purchase of three plots of land in Haryana in 2005-06 by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra from a real estate agent is being probed along with a land deal made by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the ED claimed in a recently filed money laundering case charge-sheet. The federal agency filed the charge-sheet (prosecution complaint ) in November before a court against NRI businessman C C Thampi, who is allegedly linked to Robert Vadra, and Sumit Chadha, a relative of alleged middleman Sanjay Bhandari. Though Robert Vadra and Priyanka Gandhi, a Congress general secretary, have not been named as accused in the charge-sheet, this is the first time that they have been named together in the complaint. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi took cognisance of this charge-sheet on December 22 and listed the matter for next hearing on January 29, 2024. Bhandari fled to the UK in 2016 and the British government approved his extradition to India

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi named in ED's PMLA case charge sheet

ED has named Robert Vadra in its earlier charge sheet related to the case as an alleged close aide of Thampi

ED searches Surat SEZ-based Sharanam Jewels LLP on Fema violation charge

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it recently searched the premises of a Surat-based LLP firm and entities linked to it for allegedly making "suspicious" outward remittances worth Rs 2,284 crore. The locations of Sharanam Jewels LLP, based in the Surat SEZ (special economic zone), its promoter Avadh Harshad Yagnik, Vansh Marketing, a proprietorship concern of Ashik Patel and others in Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat and Dhubri in Assam were searched under sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), the agency said in a statement. The probe was initiated on the basis of "credible" information that the said entities were involved in sending foreign exchange outside India "on a large scale" and that they made "suspicious" outward remittances amounting to Rs 2,284 crore on account of payment towards import settlement of invoices. The limited liability partnership (LLP) firm is into import and export of gems and jewellery and in the last two years, it conducte

Mahadev app owner detained in Dubai; ED may file fresh charge sheet

Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the promoters of the Mahadev online betting app, has been put under "house detention" in Dubai while Indian probe agencies, including ED, have been "alerted" and are working through diplomatic channels to get him deported, official sources said on Wednesday. The Enforcement Directorate may also file a fresh charge sheet in this multi-crore money laundering case soon, they said. The development comes weeks after Ravi Uppal, another promoter of the betting and gaming app, was detained by local authorities in Dubai on a red notice (RN) issued by Interpol at the behest of the ED. The sources said Chandrakar's location in Dubai has been intimated to the federal agency and he has been put under "house detention". Indian agencies are working, through diplomatic channels, to secure the deportation or extradition of the two who are vital to the money laundering and police investigation into the alleged illegal activities of the 'Mahadev Book Online' app that also

ED exempted from RTI but can inform on human right violations: Delhi HC

The Enforcement Directorate is exempted from the scope of the Right to Information (RTI) Act but it can be directed to supply information concerning human rights violations, which includes allegations of sexual harassment, the Delhi High Court has held. The court passed the order while dealing with two petitions by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging two orders of the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing disclosure of certain information to RTI applicants. While one of the applicants sought administrative information pertaining to recruitment rules, the other -- a legal adviser to the ED--wanted information related to allegations of sexual harassment made by her. Justice Prathiba M Singh set aside the CIC order passed in the first instance but directed the agency to disclose the information sought by the RTI Applicant in the second case within eight weeks. "The ED is exempted under Section 24 of the RTI Act, 2005 from disclosing the said information (on recruitme

Vadra 'stayed' at London property which is proceeds of crime in a case: ED

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday alleged that Robert Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, "renovated and stayed" at a London property which is a "proceeds of crime" in a money laundering case against alleged middleman Sanjay Bhandari. Bhandari fled to the UK in 2016 and the British government approved his extradition to India in January this year acting on the legal request made by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The two federal agencies are probing charges of money laundering and tax evasion against the businessman for holding alleged undisclosed assets abroad. This is the first time that the federal agency has named Vadra in this case. The ED issued a statement stating that it has filed a fresh charge sheet in this case against C C or Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi, a UAE-based NRI businessman, and UK national Sumit Chadha. Thampi was arrested in this case in January 2020 and the ED alleged he was a "close associate" of Vadra. Tha

Delhi court extends ED custody of 3 Vivo-India executives by 2 days

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended by two days the Enforcement Directorate custody of three Vivo-India executives in connection with a money laundering probe against the Chinese smartphone-maker and others. Additional Sessions Judge Aparna Swami extended the custody of Interim CEO of Vivo-India Hong Xuquan alias Terry, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal on an application moved by the ED. The accused were produced before the court on the expiry of their three-day ED custody granted earlier. The accused were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The federal agency had earlier arrested four people -- mobile company Lava International's MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, and chartered accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik -- in the case. They are in judicial custody at present. The ED had filed a charge-sheet against the four in a special PMLA court in Delhi. The cou

Sanjay Bhandari case: Court issues NBW against UK national Sumit Chaddha

"Cognizance of the offence of money laundering as defined in u/Sec. 3 r/w Sec. 17 punishable u/Sec. 4 of PMLA, 2002, has already been taken on October 5, 2020," noted the court

China to provide consular assistance to Vivo employees arrested in India

India's financial crime-fighting agency last week arrested two senior employees of Vivo's India unit, a move the company vowed to challenge legally

ED files PC against Premia Projects, Solitaire Infomedia under PMLA act

During the ED investigation, movable or immovable property worth Rs. 24.17 crore was provisionally attached

AAP to take legal opinion on fresh ED summons to Kejriwal: Gopal Rai

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will take legal opinion on the Enforcement Directorate's fresh summons to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after he returns from his Vipassana, senior party leader Gopal Rai said on Saturday. After Kejriwal skipped the second summons on Thursday, the ED on Friday again issued a notice to Kejriwal for questioning on January 3 in its Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering investigation. Rai, who is the environment minister and AAP's Delhi state convener, told PTI-Video on the sidelines of a press conference that "currently, the chief minister is undertaking a Vipassana". "There is no communication with him. Once he returns, we will take a legal opinion, and then decide about it," he said. On the summons, the AAP in a statement on Friday had said it is just political vendetta to counter the growing popularity of the party across the country. This is the third notice to Kejriwal, who is the AAP's national convenor, after he refused to appear before the fed

Land-for-jobs scam: Fresh ED summons to Tejashwi, asked to appear on Jan 5

The Enforcement Directorate has issued a fresh summons to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in the railway land-for-jobs scam case, asking him to appear on January 5, official sources said Saturday. He was earlier called to appear on December 22 but the 34-year-old skipped the summons. He had called the ED notice a routine affair. In the same case, his father and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has been asked to depose on December 27 at the ED headquarters in Delhi. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. "There is nothing new in the summons. All these agencies -- ED, CBI and I-T department -- have summoned me so many times in the past and I have duly appeared every time. But now it seems to have become routine," the RJD leader told reporters on December 21 in Patna. He was one questioned by the ED in this case on April 11. It is understood that the summons come following the

ED arrests 3 more in money laundering case against Vivo-India, others

The Enforcement Directorate has made three fresh arrests in connection with its money laundering probe against Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo and some others, official sources said on Saturday. The three have been taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The identity of the three people was not known immediately. The federal agency had earlier made four arrests in the case which included mobile company Lava International's MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang and chartered accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik. They are in judicial custody at present. A charge-sheet was also filed by the Enforcement Directorate against these people recently before a special PMLA court in Delhi and the court took its cognisance recently.

Dead, dormant, closed: Karti Chidambaram after appearance before ED

Karti Chidambaram is alleged to have received Rs 50 lakh to illegally facilitate visas for 263 Chinese nationals to complete work on a power project in Punjab

Land-for-jobs case: ED summons to Tejashwi Yadav, asked to appear on Jan 5

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday issued a fresh summons to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in a railway land-for-jobs scam case, asking him to appear on January 5, official sources said. He was earlier called to appear on December 22 but the 34-year-old skipped the summons. He had called the ED notice a routine affair. His father and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has been asked to depose on December 27 in the case at the ED headquarters in Delhi. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were handed out Group "D" category jobs in various railway zones after they transferred land to the family members of then railway minister Prasad and a linked company named A K Infosystems Private Limited.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appears before ED in money laundering case

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here on Saturday in a money laundering case linked to the issuance of visa to some Chinese nationals in 2011, official sources said. The ED case pertains to the allegations of Rs 50 lakh being paid as kickbacks to Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of the Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL), which was setting up a power plant in Punjab, according to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR. The ED case stems from the CBI complaint. The agency will record the statement of the 52-year-old MP from Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Karti earlier said that the ED probe was a "fishing and roving" enquiry and that he has earlier submitted documents to the agency. He sought more time to collect documents as he skipped appearance on December 12 and December 16.

ED issues third summons to Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy 'scam' case

The Enforcement Directorate has issued a fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning for January 3 in the excise policy-linked money laundering investigation, sources said Friday. This is the third notice to Kejriwal, also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), after he refused to appear before the federal agency on two earlier summons for November 2 and December 21. The chief minister is currently undertaking a Vipassana meditation course. While refusing to depose on the second summons, Kejriwal wrote to the investigating officer of the case that the notice issued against him for personal appearance was "not in consonance with the law" and it should be withdrawn.