Enforcement Directorate Issues Fresh Summons Against Virbhadra Singh

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday issued fresh summons to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh after he failed to appear before it in connection with a money laundering case.

The fresh summons require him to be present before the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case here on April 20.

Officials said the fresh summons was issued under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) even as the chief minister failed to keep the scheduled date for Thursday.

They said the Chief Minister sent a communication to the ED stating his reasons for not being able to appear before it all this while and sought a new date from it, after which the new summons was issued.

The agency had earlier this week issued summons to Mr Singh for personal appearance for Thursday and in order to question him and record his statement under the PMLA.

The latest ED action has come close on the heels of filing of a charge sheet by the CBI against Mr Singh, his wife and others for allegedly amassing assets worth around Rs. 10 crore disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The agency had summoned Mr Singh earlier also, but then he had excused himself stating he had official commitments.

The ED has already questioned his wife Pratibha and son Vikramaditya in connection with the case.

It had filed a case under the anti-money laundering law against the Himachal Pradesh chief minister, his family members and others after taking cognisance of a complaint filed by the CBI in this regard in September 2015.

The agency is probing allegations against Mr Singh and his family members of amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the Union Minister of Steel. It has also attached assets worth about Rs. 14 crore in the case.

The CBI charge sheet alleged that Mr Singh had amassed assets worth around Rs. 10 crore which were disproportionate by 192 per cent of his total income during his tenure as a Union minister.

The final report was filed against nine persons for alleged offences punishable under section 109 (abetment) and 465 (punishment for forgery) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, arrayed around 225 witnesses and 442 documents.

Besides the 82-year-old Congress leader and his wife Pratibha Singh, the report also arraigned Chunni Lal Chauhan, Joginder Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, Lawan Kumar Roach and Ram Prakash Bhatia as accused.

It also named as accused LIC agent Anand Chauhan, who is currently in judicial custody. Mr Chauhan was arrested by the ED on July 9 last year in this money laundering case.