Citing ill health, Dayalu tells ED she is unable to testify

The agency has received a letter stating that she is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease

DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal, citing health reasons, has expressed her inability to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for recording of statement in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case.

Last month, the ED issued summons to Ms. Ammal, giving her the option of responding through a legal representative. However, it is learnt that the agency received a reply that Ms. Ammal was not in a position to make an appearance as she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

The ED was told that it would not be possible for Ms. Ammal to even authorise a legal representative to answer queries posed by the agency.

Ms. Ammal, then director of Kalaignar TV, was also listed by the CBI as a witness in the 2G case.

In the charge sheet, the CBI alleged that Rs. 214 crore was transferred from the DB Realty group to Kalaignar TV between December 2008 and August 2009 as a quid pro quo for allotment of a 2G spectrum licence when the prime accused A. Raja was Telecom Minister.

The investigating agency alleged that the amount was transferred by following a circuitous route for transactions through Dynamix Realty, Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Ltd. and Cineyug Films.

Based on the charge sheet, the ED is probing the money trail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and has so far attached property worth Rs. 230 crore.

Among those chargesheeted by the CBI are Mr. Raja, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, Mr. Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, the then Kalaignar TV director Sharad Kumar, the then managing director of Unitech Sanjay Chandra, director of Swan Telecom and managing director of DB Realty Vinod Goenka and three senior officials of the Reliance ADA Group.

Asif Balwa and Rajiv Aggarwal, directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables, and Cineyug Films director Karim Morani were named in the supplementary charge sheet.