Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Feb 10: Tina Ambani, wife of industrialist Anil Ambani, did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday after being summoned in connection with a money laundering investigation. The federal agency is now expected to issue a fresh summons to her for questioning.
According to sources, the 68-year-old former actor was asked to depose before the ED as part of a probe into a suspected money trail linked to the purchase of a luxury condominium in Manhattan, New York. However, she failed to turn up, following which the agency decided to call her again.
The ED has recently intensified its investigation into multiple cases of alleged bank fraud and financial irregularities involving the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG). A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted by the agency on the directions of the Supreme Court to probe these cases.
As part of the same investigation, the ED recently arrested former Reliance Communications (RCOM) president Punit Garg. The agency has also provisionally attached assets worth Rs 1,885 crore belonging to entities linked to the ADAG in cases related to Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL), Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL), Reliance Communications Limited and Yes Bank.
The attachments, carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), include bank balances, receivables, unquoted shares and immovable properties. Key assets attached comprise Reliance Infrastructure Ltd’s shareholding in BSES Yamuna Power Ltd, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd. Bank balances worth Rs 148 crore and receivables amounting to Rs 143 crore of Value Corp Finance and Securities Ltd were also attached, along with a residential property linked to Angarai Sethuraman and shares and mutual fund holdings of senior employee Puneet Garg.
The ED said it had earlier attached assets worth Rs 10,117 crore in related cases. With the latest action, the total value of assets attached in ADAG-linked investigations has reached nearly Rs 12,000 crore.
According to the agency, several group companies, including RCOM, RHFL, RCFL, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd and Reliance Power Ltd, allegedly diverted large amounts of public funds. It claimed that RHFL and RCFL together received more than Rs 11,000 crore in public money, which is now under investigation.