ED investigating role of PFI, NGO for funding protest against Article 370

Widening its probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is examining the role of Kerala -based Popular Front of India (PFI) and Rehab India Foundation (RIF) for allegedly funding protests against the abrogation of Sections of Article 370.

Senior members of both organisations earlier were questioned in connection with their alleged link to Rs 120 crore used for the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country. While the PFI is an Islamic outfit, RIF is a non-profit organisation.

However, the ED’s inquiry in the ongoing matter raised suspicion over their involvement in several protests over 70 days since the government removed Jammu & Kashmir's (J&K's) special status.

Sources in the ED said the protests related to the J&K issue were stage-managed, especially in Delhi-NCR and some areas of Uttar Pradesh. Officials are trying to ascertain the quantum of funding that was mobilised allegedly to provoke protesters.

The probe agency is likely to summon more people connected with these two organisations to find out the source of the funds, and whether there was any support from anti-social elements. Early probe reveals that cash given to a protester was in the range of Rs 2,000-10,000 at the height of the stir against the J&K move.

On Wednesday, the PFI’s state president Mohammed Parvez Ahmed and RFI’s Shahid Abu Bakr appeared before the ED in Delhi.

A team of Delhi and UP police is working with the central agency to identify the people who deposited and withdrew Rs 1.04 crore cash between December 4 and January 6 from about 15 bank accounts of the PFI and RFI. There were as many as 80-90 withdrawals from a few bank accounts in a day, the sources said.

ED issues fresh summons to Air Asia CEO, other executives in PMLA case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to senior executives of Air Asia airlines, including CEO Tony Fernandes, for questioning next month in connection with a money laundering case, officials said on Friday.

As per sources, the central agency has asked Fernandes to appear before the investigating officer of the case here on February 5, his deputy and former Deputy Group CEO of Malaysia-based Air Asia Berhad Bo Lingam on February 3 and R Venkataramanan, Director Air Asia India Ltd, Bengaluru, on February 10.

Few others linked to the present and past management of the airline have also been asked to depose.

The ED had earlier asked some of these executives to appear this month but after some failed to appear or sought additional time, new dates have been given, they said.

The summons have been issued under the PMLA and as per sources the executives will be questioned and their statement recorded in connection with the investigation.

The agency had registered a case under the PMLA against the airline and its officials in May, 2018.

This criminal case was filed two days after CBI filed a criminal complaint to probe these allegations.

Probe in the case is related to allegations that the airline tried to manipulate government policies through corrupt means to get international licence for its Indian venture Air Asia India Limited.

The ED is also probing this case under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Air Asia India at present has flights connecting 21 domestic destinations and as per a aircraft fleet tracking website, it has 29 Airbus A320 planes.

Investigation in the case was initiated on the basis of allegations of ousted Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry that fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore, involving non-existent entities in India and Singapore, were carried out in an instance involving the airline.

The CBI and ED, in their criminal FIRs, had booked Group CEO of Air Asia Fernandes, Tharumalingam Kanagalingam also known as Bo Lingam, former Deputy Group CEO of Malaysia-based Air Asia Berhad, and Venkataramanan, Director Air Asia India Ltd, Bengaluru, besides companies Air Asia India Pvt Ltd and Air Asia Berhad.

The allegation pertains to Air Asia officials and others allegedly trying to manipulate government policies through corrupt means to get international licence for its Indian venture Air Asia India Limited.

The CBI had alleged that Venkataramanan was lobbying in the government to secure mandatory approvals, some of them through "non-transparent means", including the then Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance, No Objection Certificate and the attempt for removal or modification of 5/20 rule.

It is alleged that to be eligible for international operations, the company was required to have five years of experience and fleet of 20 aircraft as per 5/20 rule.

The company is yet to get international flying permit.

Fernandes wanted it to fly internationally from the day of getting the flying permit in May, 2014, the CBI complaint had alleged.

He and his local Indian partner Tata Sons through their nominee Venkatramanan would lobby in government to get all approvals including FIPB clearance and amend or removal of existing 5/20 rule for international operations, the CBI alleged.

The CBI had also named Rajender Dubey, Director of Singapore-based HNR Trading pvt Ltd, Sunil Kapur, Chairman Total Food Services, Mumbai and Deepak Talwar, Principal and Founder DTA consulting (deported to India last year from Dubai), New Delhi and the company HNR Trading as alleged lobbyists who used their influence to get 5/20 rule relaxed "before General Elections of 2014".

Air Asia had denied any wrongdoing after the CBI filed the case and carried out raids at multiple premises.

It is alleged that Air Asia India Ltd -- a joint venture between Tata sons and Malaysian company Air Asia Berhad -- was indirectly controlled and operated by the Malaysia group, and particularly Air Asia Berhad violating various existing norms of erstwhile FIPB, now defunct, under the Union finance ministry.

ICICI-Videocon case: Chanda Kochhar, husband appear before ED again

Former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar on Tuesday again appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud andm oney laundering case registered against them.

They were questioned by the agency on Monday for over eight hours. This was the first time they were grilled in Delhi.

They have been questioned by the agency in Mumbai in March.

The couple arrived at the Enforcement Directorate's headquarters in Khan Market here around their scheduled appearance time of 11:30 am, official sources said.

While it was not immediately known as to what was the ED's line of questioning on Monday, sources said the two were questioned about their personal and official dealings with the Videocon group.

Their statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money LaunderingAct (PMLA) by the investigating officer of the case, they said.

The Kochhars were supposed to depose before the agency early this month but they had then sought an extension of time and were allowed, they said.

Chanda Kochhar's brother-in-law and Deepak's brother, Rajiv Kochhar, has also been grilled by the ED multiple times in the case a few days ago here.

Rajiv Kochhar has been questioned by the CBI in the same case in the past as well.

He is the founder of Singapore-based Avista Advisory and was questioned by the CBI about his company's role in the restructuring of the loan, the sources said.

Rajiv Kochhar was asked by CBI sleuths about the help he had extended to Videocon in relation to the loan from ICICI Bank, which was part of a Rs 400-billion credit given by a consortium of 20 banks to the group of main promoter, Venugopal Dhoot.

The Kochhar couple have been questioned in the past too at the ED zonal office in Mumbai after the central agency conducted raids in this case on March 1.

The searches were conducted at the premises of Chanda Kochhar, her family and Venugopal Dhoot of Videocon Group in Maharashtra's Mumbai and Aurangabad.

The ED has registered a criminal case under the PMLA early this year against Chanda Kochhar, Deepak Kochhar, Dhoot and others to probe alleged irregularities and corrupt practices in sanctioning Rs 1,875-crore loans by ICICI Bank to the corporate group.

This action of the agency was based on an FIR registered by the CBI.

The CBI has named all the three and Dhoot's companies -- Videocon International Electronics Ltd (VIEL) and Videocon Industries Limited (VIL) -- in its case.

The anti-corruption probe agency also named Supreme Energy, a company founded by Dhoot, and NuPower Renewables, a company controlled by Deepak Kochhar, in the FIR.

It has slapped sections of the Indian Penal Code related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act on all the accused.

The CBI alleged that Dhoot had invested in Nupower through his firm Supreme Energy in a quid pro quo to loans cleared by ICICI Bank after Chanda Kochhar took over as the CEO of the bank on May 1, 2009.

The ownership of Nupower and Supreme Energy changed hands through a complex web of shared transactions between Deepak Kochhar and Dhoot, the CBI alleged.

During its preliminary enquiry, the CBI found that six loans worth Rs 1,875 crore were sanctioned to the Videocon Group and companies associated with it between June, 2009 and October, 2011 in alleged violation of laid-down policies of ICICI Bank, which have now become part of the probe.

"Existing outstanding in the accounts of these private group companies were adjusted in Rupee Term Loan of Rs 1,730 crore sanctioned by ICICI Bank under refinance of domestic debt under consortium arrangement on April 26, 2012," a CBI spokesperson had said.

The loans were declared non-performing assets in 2012, causing a loss of Rs 1,730 crore to the bank, it alleged.

The ED, the sources said, is also probing at least two other instances of loans given by ICICI Bank (during Chanda Kochhar's tenure) to Gujarat-based pharmaceutical firm Sterling Biotech and to Bhushan Steel group.

Chanda Kochhar and Deepak Kochhar are also expected to be asked questions about these loans as well, they said.

The agency is investigating these two instances of alleged bank loan fraud under the PMLA.