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  India   ED summons to Chidambaram’s wife on Saradha chit fund scam

ED summons to Chidambaram’s wife on Saradha chit fund scam

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Aug 25, 2016, 1:16 am IST
Updated : Aug 25, 2016, 1:16 am IST

The ED has summoned Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former finance minister P. Chidamabram, in connection with its mon-ey laundering probe in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.

Congress MP P Chidambaram during the ongoing monsoon session in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)
 Congress MP P Chidambaram during the ongoing monsoon session in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

The ED has summoned Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former finance minister P. Chidamabram, in connection with its mon-ey laundering probe in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.

Sources in the agency said Nalini has been asked to appear before the investigating officer of the case early next month in Kolkata, where her statement is expected to be recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The particular matter with Nalini, a Supreme Court lawyer, pertains to the legal fee paid to her by the Saradha group, they added.

The amount in question is Rs 1.26 crore, sources said. The ED wants to understand the exact flow of funds to her from Saradha company accou-nts and the contract made therein. She had earlier been questioned by the ED and the CBI in this regard, but sources claimed she has been summoned on the light of new evidence. Saradha chairman Sudipta Sen, at present in jail, had mentioned about hiring Nalini as a lawyer at the request of Manoranjana Sinh, estra-nged wife of Congress leader Matang Sinh.

Nalini represented Manoranjana and, therefore, was asked to offer her professional advice in her negotiations with Sen in connection with plans by the group to acquire a TV channel in the Northeast. The lawyer is believed to have advised her client against the Rs 42-crore investment by the group to acquire the TV channel. The ED had filed a chargesheet in this case in a special PMLA court in Kolkata early this year and it is working to file more similar complaints in the future.

The CBI on Monday arrested Ramendra Moh-an Sarkar and Sukanta Deb, both then Directors of Ramel Industries Ltd, as part of its investigation into the Saradha chit fund scam case.

It was alleged that both had collected money from investors under its investment schemes by fraudulently promising very high returns and also without the permission from the regulatory bodies, and later misappropriated it. A case was registered by the CBI on November 28, 2014 on the orders of the Supreme Court on May 9, 2014 passed against the Directors of the company.

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