Taking cognisance of an Enforcement Directorate complaint in connection with a money-laundering case related to the 2G spectrum allocation scam, a Delhi court issued summons on Friday to the former Union Telecom Minister A. Raja, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M. Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal and his daughter Kanimozhi, and 17 others to appear before it on May 26.
Mr. Karunanidhi’s daughter Selvi is one of the 30 witnesses.
In filing the case, the ED traced the trail of a sum of Rs. 200 crore that reached Kalignar TV from other accused companies, and concluded that it was illegal gratification for, and on behalf of, A. Raja and his associates for illegal favours given to Swan Telecom. “Raja was actively involved in receiving and refunding the proceeds of crime,” it said.
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“On a perusal of the material on record, I am satisfied that there is enough incriminating material to proceed against the accused,” Special CBI judge O.P. Saini said.
The ED said in its complaint that Kalaignar TV director P. Amirtham and managing director and chief executive officer Sharad Kumar, “in association with Dayalu Ammal and Kanimozhi, were involved in parking Rs. 200-crore illegal gratification and its refund.”
Shahid Usman Balwa, Swan Telecom promoter; Vinod Goenka, managing director of DB Realty; Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, promoters of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt. Ltd.; and Karim Morani, director of Cineyug Films are among others summoned.
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“An amount of Rs. 200 crore was paid by promoters of Swan Telecom using their group entity Dynamix Realty to Kalaignar TV through Kusegaon Fruits and Cineyug Films in the garb of legitimate financial transactions as loan/share application money ... In the garb of loan, it was the illegal gratification, which was apparently projected as untainted money ... The reverse flow of such amount further establishes the projection of the proceeds of crime as untainted money and is nothing but the process of money laundering,” the ED said.