In connection with the IL& FS money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jayant Patil, the head of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a former minister for Maharashtra, an official said on Thursday.
The insider said Patil, the head of the Maharashtra NCP, has been called to appear before the organization on Friday.
At the ED's office in South Mumbai's Ballard Estate, Patil's statement on the matter may be recorded.
In conjunction with its money laundering investigation into suspected financial irregularities at the infrastructure development and financing business, the ED on Wednesday conducted searches against two former auditor firms of IL&FS — BSR and Associates and Deloitte Haskins and Sells — according to official sources.
According to the PMLA's search rules, the Mumbai locations connected to the two auditors' offices were also searched.
Even while records were being taken, certain workers of the two businesses — Deloitte Haskins and Sells and BSR and Associates, an Indian offshoot of the large auditing company KPMG — were being interrogated by the authorities.
A representative for Deloitte said, “We continue to provide our full assistance to the authorities. This routine investigation is in connection to an ongoing case with a former customer.
The action was taken a week after the Bombay High Court's ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court, which opened the door for legal action against the two companies—both of which were former auditors of IL&FS Financial Services—under the Companies Act and allowed the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to move forward with its investigation.
2018 saw the bankruptcy filing of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS).
White collar crimes and frauds are investigated and prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), a division of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) started the money laundering investigation into the alleged financial irregularities at IL&FS in 2019 after the federal agency became aware of a Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) FIR filed against IRL, ITNL (group companies of IL&FS), its officials, and others.
In addition, the ED acknowledged receiving a complaint from the SFIO against IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN) and its representatives.
In this instance, the agency had already attached the assets of numerous organizations.
