NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, asking him to appear on November 14 for questioning in a money-laundering probe tied to alleged bank fraud involving Reliance Communications (RCom), sources said.
Ambani (66) was previously questioned by the ED in August for roughly ten hours.
The ED intends to record his statement under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA) once he deposes, as it did during the earlier interview. The current inquiry flows from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR registered on August 21, which arose from a complaint lodged by the State Bank of India (SBI).
According to the SBI complaint, RCom and related entities owed lenders more than Rs 40,000 crore, with SBI alone facing an alleged hit of Rs 2,929.05 crore. The figures cited are from 2018. The CBI’s criminal case names RCom, Anil D. Ambani, unidentified public servants and other unnamed parties.
Following the CBI’s August moves, a spokesperson for Ambani said that the underlying issues date back over 10 years and that he was a non-executive director at the relevant time with no involvement in the day-to-day running. The spokesperson noted further that the SBI had already withdrawn proceedings against five other non-executive directors and accused the authorities of selectively targeting Ambani.
The latest ED action comes after a broader investigation launched in July this year into alleged financial irregularities and purported diversion of collective loans exceeding Rs 17,000 crore by multiple Anil Ambani group firms.