Industrialist Anil Ambani today appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after being summoned by the financial investigative agency, in connection with an ongoing money laundering case linked to Reliance Communications Ltd.’s alleged bank fraud case. The ED summoned the industrialist to appear at its headquarters in Delhi this morning under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The ED’s Special Task Force (Headquarters) has provisionally attached Anil Ambani’s Pali Hill Residential property ‘Abode’ in Mumbai, worth Rs 3,716.83 crores, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Earlier, part of this property was attached to the extent of Rs 473.17 crores.
This takes the cumulative attachment of properties of the Anil Ambani Group to over Rs 15,700 crore, according to the statement.
ED started the probe based on CBI’s FIR under sections 120-B, 406, and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and section 13(2) read with section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1989, against M/s Reliance Communications Ltd (RCOM), Anil Ambani, and others.
RCOM and its group companies have availed loans from domestic and foreign lenders, with a total outstanding amount of Rs 40,185 crore.
The ED investigation has revealed that, among other assets, the Pali Hill property was aggregated into the RiseE Trust – a Private Family Trust of the members of Anil Ambani’s family. This was done to make it appear as though Anil Ambani is not involved in the ownership.
(With inputs from IANS)