ED questions Himachal CM’s son in PMLA case

ED on Friday questioned Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya in connection with its money laundering probe against his father and others.

Officials said the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case recorded the statement of Vikramaditya under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and confronted him with various documents seized by the agency during searches conducted in the past.

They said he was also asked about certain financial transactions that he had made in the past.

The Delhi High Court had yesterday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) not to arrest Vikramaditya after he moved the court for protection from arrest.

ED had recently filed the first charge sheet in the case at a court here against arrested accused and LIC agent Anand Chauhan. The agency had attached assets worth about Rs eight crore earlier this year. Virbhadra has denied the allegations of any wrongdoing by him and his family.

ED had filed a PMLA case after taking cognisance of a complaint filed by CBI in this regard in September last year.

The agency is probing allegations against Virbhadra and his family members of having amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore, which is alleged to be disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the Union Minister of Steel.