Page 14 - Money Laundering Case

ED summons Karti Chidambaram in PMLA probe; MP calls it 'most bogus' case

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has not deposed before the ED for questioning in a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the issuance of visas to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011 and dubbed the case "most bogus". The 52-year-old legislator from the Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu was summoned by the central agency to appear this week at its office here and record his statement in the case being probed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The MP is understood to have informed the ED that he was occupied with the ongoing Parliament session. The 2022 ED case pertains to allegations of Rs 50 lakh being paid as kickbacks to Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of 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 money laundering case stems from the CBI complaint. Karti told PTI that the case was "most bogus

Hemant Soren is neck-deep in corruption, behaving like monarch: BJP leader

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate summoned Soren in connection with the alleged land scam case

ED summons Jharkhand CM for questioning in money-laundering case on Tuesday

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam on Tuesday, official sources said. Soren has been asked to depose at the federal agency's office here and get his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said on Monday. The summons for the chief minister is for December 12, they added. This is the sixth notice issued to Soren, but he never deposed as he filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking protection from the ED action. The probe pertains to the ED alleging that a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by mafia was going on in Jharkhand". The agency has arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Chhavi Ranjan who had earlier served as the director of the state social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi. The 48-year-old

Vivo PMLA case: Court to decide on taking cognisance of charge sheet on Wed

A Delhi court will consider on December 13 whether to take cognisance of the charge sheet filed against Chinese smartphone maker Vivo-India and others in a money laundering case. The charge sheet was filed under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act before Special Judge Kiran Gupta, who on Thursday posted the matter for consideration on December 13. According to sources, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Vivo-India of cheating the Union government through an an intricate network it had set up in the country. Four individuals -- the MD of Lava International mobile company, Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, and chartered accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik - have been named as accused the prosecution complaint (ED's equivalent of a charge sheet). All the accused are currently in judicial custody. Advocate Nitesh Rana, appearing for Rai before the court on Thursday, termed the case as frivolous and said there was no eviden

PMLA proceedings can't continue for quashed scheduled offences: Delhi HC

Prosecution for money laundering cannot continue for a scheduled offence under an FIR which is compounded and quashed, the Delhi High Court has said. It, however, clarified that the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in such a case cannot be quashed completely if there is another FIR with respect to the same cause of action to legitimise the existence of the money laundering probe. The high court's order came on a petition by a money laundering accused seeking to quash the ECIR registered against him on the basis of two Delhi Police FIRs in connection with alleged siphoning funds collected by him for the development of a real-estate project. The petitioner said the jurisdictional fact which formed the basis of the ED investigation has now come to an end with the compounding and quashing of the FIRs pursuant to a settlement, and hence, the ECIR and the subsequent proceedings cannot continue any longer. The ED opposed the petition on the ..

Delhi excise 'scam': AAP leader Sanjay Singh moves court seeking bail

AAP leader Sanjay Singh, arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam, on Friday moved a court here seeking bail, his lawyer said. The application was filed in the Rouse Avenue Court's registry and is likely to come up for hearing on Saturday, advocate Mohd Irshad said. Special Judge M K Nagpal, meanwhile, extended Singh's judicial custody till December 4. The judge also noted the submission of the investigating officer that the charge sheet against the accused is likely to be filed shortly and within prescribed time.

Money laundering charges are not ground to deny passport renewal: Court

Merely being prosecuted on money laundering charges is not a sufficient ground to deny permission for passport renewal, a special court here has said while granting nod to former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh's son to apply for renewal of his passport. Special Judge R N Rokade on Wednesday allowed the application filed by Salil Deshmukh, seeking a direction to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to return his seized passport so that he can apply for renewal. The ED has accused Salil Deshmukh along with his father - former state home minister Anil Deshmukh - and some others of money laundering. Salil Deshmukh was not formally arrested in the case by the ED. After the agency named him as an accused in its chargesheet, he appeared before the special court which granted him bail in November 2022. In his application, Salil Deshmukh said his passport expired in January 2022. He sought permission to apply for renewal of the passport for a period of 10 years. The agency opposed the ple

Centre defends PMLA act, petitioners question provisions of summoning

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing petitioners in the matter, said that the ED summons a person without telling them whether he is being called as an accused or witness

National Herald probe: ED attaches Rs 752 cr assets of Cong-linked firms

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has attached immovable assets and equity shares worth about Rs 752 crore as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation against the Congress-promoted National Herald newspaper and companies linked to it. The provisional attachment order came as the elections in five states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram are in progress and the counting of votes is scheduled to be held on December 3. The Congress called the agency action as "petty vendetta tactics" and dubbed the ED a "coalition partner" of the BJP which, it claimed, is staring at a certain defeat in the assembly polls. The federal probe agency alleged in a statement that in this case the shareholders and donors of the Congress were "cheated" by the office-bearers of AJL and the party. A provisional attachment order has been issued by the federal probe agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Associated Journals Lt

Report leak: CBI chargesheets Anil Deshmukh's daughter, daughter-in-law

In a fresh jolt to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, the CBI has chargesheeted his daughter Pooja and daughter-in-law Rahat in connection with alleged leakage of the agency's internal draft report in 2021 giving clean chit to the leader in an extortion case against him, officials said. In its supplementary charge sheet filed before a special CBI court here, the agency has termed Pooja a "co-conspirator" who allegedly planned, directed and provided logistical support to Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Dilip Daga to bribe agency's sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari in order to get the draft report, they said. The report was leaked to the media on August 29, 2021 "to subvert" the Bombay High Court-directed probe against him, the agency has alleged. The Bombay High Court had directed the CBI to probe allegations of extortion worth crores from Restaurants and Bars owners in Mumbai levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against Anil Deshmukh. The CBI report leaked

Delhi HC stays proceedings in money laundering case against Pawan Munjal

The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the proceedings against Hero Motocorp chairman Pawan Kant Munjal in a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Justice Saurabh Banerjee issued notice to the investigating agency on Munjal's petition against the ED case and granted it time to file its reply. While granting the interim relief, the judge observed that a similar stay order was recently passed on the predicate offence under the Customs Act and the petitioner has been exonerated by the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) in that matter. "Accordingly, there shall be a stay of proceedings under the ECIR," the court ordered. The court clarified that the stay was in relation to the petitioner only and the ED was free to proceed further according to law. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had filed a prosecution complaint last year on charges of allegedly "carrying, attempting to export and illicit export of prohibited ite

ED issues fresh summons to millionaire Singham in NewsClick PMLA case

A fresh summons was issued by the Enforcement Directorate to China-based American millionaire Neville Roy Singham for questioning in connection with a money laundering probe linked to online news portal NewsClick, officials said on Thursday. The 69-year-old businessman, who is accused of spreading Chinese propaganda in India, is stated to be currently based in Shanghai. The summons were sent to Singham recently on his personal email ID and also through the Chinese diplomatic channels after the ED routed them through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the officials said. This is understood to be the second summons issued to Singham by the ED. The first was issued last year after the federal agency launched its investigation in 2021. The request has been sent under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) signed between India and China in 2003. Under this agreement, both countries shall promote cooperation for exchange of information on legal matters and cooperation in other le

Arrested to silence my voice: AAP's Sanjay Singh in letter from jail

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh has written a letter from jail addressed to the countryman, saying he was arrested to silence his voice. He was arrested on October 5 in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam in the city. He has been lodged in Tihar Jail. Singh, a vocal critic of the BJP and the government led by it, said he was arrested to silence his voice. With each passing day in jail, he said, his "determination and strength to fight authoritarian power" are increasing. "Born out of the womb of struggle, the AAP has created hope and trust in Indian politics. Under Arvind Kejriwal's leadership, in just 10 years, the AAP became a national party. We formed the government in Delhi thrice, achieved a significant majority in Punjab, and succeeded in penetrating Gujarat. Since independence, numerous governments were formed across the country, but the commendable work in education and healthcare by the Kejriwal government became an example in the country a

Waqf Board money laundering case: ED gets 3-day custody of three accused

As per ED, the money laundering case pertains to sell purchase of land for Rs. 13.40 crores. It is alleged that the transaction involves proceeds of crime

3 arrested by ED in money laundering case against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested three people as part of a money laundering investigation against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan linked to alleged irregularities in recruitment of staff for the Delhi Waqf Board, official sources said Saturday. The agency had last month raided the premises of the 49-year-old legislator who represents the Okhla constituency in the Delhi assembly. Three people have been taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. Their identities were not immediately known. The agency had alleged that Khan acquired "huge proceeds of crime" in cash from illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board and invested these for purchasing immovable assets in the name of his associates. "The searches were conducted in the case related to illegal recruitment of staff in Delhi Waqf Board and illegal personal gains by way of unfairly leasing out of Waqf Board properties during the chairmanship of the board b

Money-laundering case: Rs 50 crore assets of Pawan Munjal attached

Federal agency seizes assets worth Rs 50 cr, including immovable properties worth Rs 25 cr, of businessman

HC dismisses Jet founder Naresh Goyal's plea against 'illegal' arrest by ED

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal challenging his "illegal" arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to bank loan default. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Gauri Godse said the petition cannot be entertained and hence is dismissed. The court said it was open for Goyal to avail other statutory remedy like bail plea. Goyal had filed a habeas corpus (produce the person) petition in which he claimed he was illegally arrested by the ED in the case. In his plea, Goyal claimed his arrest was illegal as it was done without following provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He also challenged orders of a special court which had first remanded him in the ED's custody and thereafter in judicial custody. The ED opposed the plea and said the arrest was done after following the due process of law. Goyal's custody was required as he was evasive and not cooperating

ED arrests Punjab AAP MLA in bank fraud-linked money laundering case

Punjab AAP MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra was on Monday arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to a bank fraud case, official sources said. The legislator was taken into custody under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after he was detained by agency officials from a public meeting he was holding in Malerkotla, they said. The sources alleged that Gajjan Majra, a legislator from the Amargarh assembly constituency, had skipped multiple summons issued to him in the past and hence, was detained by the officials and then arrested after questioning. The Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang charged that the way Gajjan Majra was picked up from a public meeting by the ED shows the BJP's politics of defaming the party. He said the MLA has been facing a case since before he joined AAP. The central agency raided the MLA and some others in September last year as part of this PMLA ...

Jal Jivan Mission scam: ED raids in Rajasthan linked money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted fresh searches in poll-bound Rajasthan, including at the premises of a senior IAS officer, as part of its money laundering investigation into the alleged Jal Jivan Mission scam, official sources said. A total of 25 premises in the state capital Jaipur, and Dausa, including that of ACS in the PHE department, Subodh Agarwal, are being covered, they said. Some other linked persons are also being covered under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The central agency had carried out similar raids in this case in September. The state will vote for its 200-member assembly on November 25.

Two Ashoka Univ founders among 3 held by ED for alleged money laundering

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested two promoters of Chandigarh-based pharma company Parabolic Drugs and a company CA in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged bank fraud, official sources said. Parabolic promoters Vineet Gupta and Pranav Gupta and Chartered Accountant S K Bansal were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The Guptas are the co-founders of Sonepat-based Ashoka University but had stepped down from their posts in 2022 at the educational institution after the CBI registered a case against them and the company in 2021. The three are expected to be produced before a special PMLA court in Chandigarh where the ED will seek their custody. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR in which the promoters and the pharma company were booked for allegedly defrauding a consortium led by Central Bank of India of Rs 1626.74 crore.