ED summons Congress leader Ahmed Patel, to grill for 4th time in Sandesara money laundering scam

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel has once again been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning, , fourth time in a row in connection over alleged links with the Sandesara group, promoters of Sterling Biotech.

According to reports, the ED investigators will grill the 70-yr-old senior Congress treasurer on July 9 in Sandesara brothers bank fraud and money laundering case probe. 

Earlier on July 3, a three-member team of the central agency along with a few other officials reached Patel's 23, Mother Teresa Crescent home in the Lutyens' zone of central Delhi around 11:30 am and left after 10 pm. Patel, while speaking to reporters outside his house, said the investigators put 128 questions to him. "This is a political vendetta and harassment against me and my family and I do not know under whose pressure they (investigators) are working," he said.

He claimed that the agency is working on hearsay and that they have no no solid evidence and that there was no money trail.

He was allowed questioning at home by the agency after the Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat refused to visit the ED office citing prevailing COVID-19 guidelines that discourage senior citizens from going out.

Officials said Patel's statement is being recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the latest session.
He is being questioned about his purported links with Vadodara-based Sterling Biotech pharmaceutical company promoters, the Sandesara brothers, and alleged dealings of his family members with them.

The agency, last year, had questioned Patel's son Faisal Patel and son-in-law Irfan Ahmed Siddiqui in this case and recorded their statements.

The two were questioned in the context of the statement of one Sunil Yadav, an employee of the Sandesara group, which was earlier recorded before the agency. In his statement to the ED, Yadav had said that he bore expenses of Rs 10 lakh for a party which was attended by Faisal, "arranged" entry in a night club for him and once delivered "Rs 5 lakh" to his driver in Khan Market on the instructions of Chetan Sandesara, one of the promoters of the pharma firm, sources had said.

Yadav had told the ED that the cash was meant for Faisal Patel, sources said.

This money laundering case pertains to the alleged Rs 14,500 crore bank loan fraud that is said to have been perpetrated by Sterling Biotech and its main promoters and directors -- Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Chetankumar Jayantilal Sandesara and Deepti Sandesara -- all of whom are absconding. Nitin and Chetankumar are brothers.

The agency has alleged that this is a bigger bank scam in volume than the PNB fraud involving diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.
The total fraud amount pegged in the PNB case is about Rs 13,400 crore.

The Sandesaras are also facing separate probes by the CBI and the Income Tax Department for their alleged nexus with some high-profile politicians and charges of corruption and tax evasion, respectively.

At present, they are stated to be based in Albania, from where India is trying to extradite them. The ED registered a criminal case in connection with the alleged bank loan fraud on the basis of an FIR and a charge sheet filed by the CBI.

It is alleged that the company took loans of over Rs 5,383 crore from a domestic consortium led by the Andhra Bank, which later turned into non-performing assets.