Heena Sharma Blog

  The ED on Monday conducted raids on at least ten premises of a Mumbai-based realty group in connection with its money laundering probe in the Yes Bank alleged bank fraud case, official sources said. They said premises of Omkar Realtors and Developers, that includes 7 residential and 3 official in Mumbai, were searched by the central probe agency.   Emails sent by PTI to the realty group did not elicit a response. The action is being carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the raids are aimed to gather more evidence, they said. The Omkar Group is promoted by its chairman Kamal Kishore Gupta and Managing Director Babulal Varma, they said. The group is alleged to have misused various permissions given under the SRA (slum rehabilitation authority) schemes and is alleged to have "diverted" around Rs 450 crore taken by way of loan from Yes bank, ED sources said. Read More

  Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty on Friday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning after being summoned in the Bollywood actor's death case. Rhea arrived at the DRDO guesthouse here, where the CBI's Special Investigation Team started her grilling. This is for the first time that Rhea was being questioned by the federal agency, after it took over the case on August 6. Besides Rhea, her brother Showik, Sushant's flatmate Siddharth Pithani, house manager Samuel Miranda, personal staff Neeraj Singh have also been questioned. The CBI will be asking her about her relationship with Sushant; how he was behaving during the Europe trip last year; the alleged drug angle and the financial transactions from his account. Read More       

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday pressed money laundering charges against the promoters of the GVK group of companies, officials of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) and few other entities in connection with Rs 705 crore Mumbai Airport scam. Confirming the development, an ED official said that the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), which is equivalent to a police first information report, was filed by agency under Section 3 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Section 3 deals with concealment of proceeds of crime where the accused shall be guilty of money laundering. The ED action follows the criminal case registered by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 27 against GVK Group Chairman Sanjay Reddy and MIAL Managing Director GV Sanjay Reddy. The ECIR also includes the names of some Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials and nine other private firms. Read More

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids at multiple locations including at the premises of suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with its money laundering probe in the Delhi riots case, officials said. They said at least six premises in Delhi, Noida and few other locations in the national capital region are being searched. The raids are aimed at collecting evidence in the case, they said. The ED, in March, had booked suspended Aam Aadmi Party councillor Hussain, Islamist group PFI and some others on charges of money laundering and alleged funding of the recent riots in Delhi. Read More

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) plea seeking revocation of the pardon granted to businessmen and accused-turned-approver Rajiv Saxena in AgustaWestland chopper deal case. Justice C. Hari Shankar, upholding Saxena approver status, said, "Resultantly, I find myself in agreement with the view, expressed by the learned Special Judge, that, before the recording of his statement under Section 306 (4) of the Cr PC, the application, of the petitioner (ED), as preferred before him, was not maintainable." The court noted that a preliminary objection had been advanced by Saxena's counsel RK Handoo that the CrPC does not contemplate "revocation of pardon". Handoo has said that pardon, once granted, can neither be revoked nor withdrawn or cancelled. Read More

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to a clutch of borrowers of YES Bank , including Essel group Chairman Subhash Chandra, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, Cox & Kings promoter Peter Kerkar, Dewan Housing Finance promoter Kapil Wadhawan, and a few more in connection with the money laundering probe against YES Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor. Besides, the federal agency has issued fresh summons to Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani asking him to appear on Thursday. Ambani was summoned on Monday for questioning related to the stressed loans that were sanctioned to ADAG group during Kapoor’s tenure. But he has filed adjournment application with the ED seeking more time. An ED official said it was examining all the big borrowers of YES Bank and that is why each of the borrower had been asked to join the probe this week. Read More

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday filed a charge sheet against former Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd CMD Sanjay Singal and others in a multi-crore money laundering case linked to an alleged bank loan fraud. The charge sheet was filed before Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj. Singal was placed under arrest on November 22 last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after he was questioned in connection with the case. Read More

The Supreme Court on Monday said that Vijay Mallya cannot use pendency of his plea in the apex court to stall insolvency proceedings initiated against him in other jurisdictions. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde passed the order after the Centre told the top court that Mallya used pendency of his plea to stall the UK court from delivering verdict in insolvency proceedings. Mallya had approached the apex court on June 27 seeking a stay on the confiscation of properties owned by him and his relatives. Mallya, who is currently in the UK, has been charged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. He is also facing an extradition trial in the UK. Read More

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the AIIMS director to constitute a medical board today itself to give opinion on the health of former finance minister P Chidambaram, who is suffering from Crohn's disease. The high court said Hyderabad-based gastroenterologist Nageshwara Redybe included in the board to give his opinion on Chidambaram's medical condition, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. Chidambaram has sought interim bail in the INX media money laundering case on medical grounds, saying his condition is deteriorating and he needs to be in a sterile environment. Justice Suresh Kait said the board will sit today to discuss Chidambaram's medical condition and the report be placed before the court which will hear the matter on Friday. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former finance minister P Chidambaram in connection with INX-Media money laundering case following interrogation in the Tihar Jail on Wednesday morning. Senior Congress leader spent 55 days in CBI and judicial custody in the corruption charges in the same case. The enforcement agency is likely to produce him in the special PMLA court in the afternoon. Sources say that ED requires custodial interrogation to confront the evidence it has come across during the probe. The ED's special public prosecutors on Friday moved a plea seeking production warrant of the senior Congress leader. On Tuesday, Special court Judge allowed the ED to interrogate Chidambaram in Tihar jail and arrest him, if necessary, in connection with the INX Media money laundering case. Former FM Chidambaram, in ED custody, will face questions related to kickbacks received by shell companies allegedly floated by Karti Chidambaram when approvals were granted...

A Delhi court Friday extended till March 25 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis scam cases filed by the CBI and the ED. Special Judge O P Saini adjourned the matter after senior advocate Sonia Mathur, appearing for the CBI, sought time to argue on their anticipatory bail applications. Similar request was also made by ED's Special Public Prosecutors Nitesh Rana and N K Matta which was allowed by the court. During the hearing senior advocates Kapil Sibal and A M Sinhgvi, appearing for the father-son duo, opposed the adjournment sought by the agencies, saying a lot of time has been spent since filing of the applications. The case relates to alleged irregularities in grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal. Article Source -> Business Standard

Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya , wanted in India on alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 90 billion, is set to appear before the Westminster Magistrates' Court here on Monday when his extradition trial is listed for a judgment hand-down. The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss has been on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April last year. He has contested his extradition on the grounds that the case against him is "politically motivated" and the loans he has been accused of defrauding on were sought to keep his now-defunct airline afloat. "I did not borrow a single rupee. The borrower was Kingfisher Airlines. Money was lost due to a genuine and sad business failure. Being held as guarantor is not fraud," he said in his recent Twitter post on the issue. "I have offered to repay 100 per cent of the principal amount to them. Please take it," the flamboyant businessman twee...

The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 90 bn Current Affairs News : Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya , wanted in India on fraud charges, returned to Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Tuesday for closing arguments in his high-profile extradition trial. The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 90 bn. He arrived at the court along with his son Siddharth. "At the end of the day, the courts will decide," Mallya tells reporters outside the court. At the last hearing in the case on April 27, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had received a boost in the case as Judge Arbuthnot confirmed that the bulk of the evidence submitted by the Indian aut...

Chidambaram will today appear before CBI for questioning in connection with alleged irregularities in giving INX Media the clearance to receive foreign investment Current Affairs News : Former finance minister P Chidambaram was on Tuesday questioned by the Enforcement Directorate, which probes financial crimes, in what is widely known as the Aircel-Maxis case. On Wednesday, Chidambaram will appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning in connection with alleged irregularities in giving INX Media the clearance to receive foreign investment. Here is a list of high-profile politicians, including former Union ministers, who have faced probe for alleged corruption in recent times: On Tuesday, the senior Congress leader for the first time deposed for questioning before the ED, which issued a summons to him. The agency recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the Rs 35-billion Aircel-Maxis deal, ...