Senior Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar said that the Enforcement Directorate had asked him to appear before it in Delhi on Friday in connection with a money laundering case, PTI reported. The investigating agency decided to issue fresh summons after the Karnataka High Court on Thursday rejected Shivakumar’s plea challenging the notice sent to him.
In September 2018, the Enforcement Directorate had registered a money laundering case against Shivakumar and a few other leaders under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The case was registered on the basis of a chargesheet that the Income Tax Department filed against him earlier in 2018 in a special court in Bengaluru for allegedly evading tax and for hawala transactions worth crores of rupees.
“Please don’t take tension, I have not taken tension, there is no need to take tension,” the Congress leader was quoted as saying. “I have not committed any mistake. I have not committed any rape or taken money, there is nothing against me.” He said that he will face the case “legally, politically and socially”.
On whether he was being targeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Shivakumar said: “Whoever has done... I wish them best... I have done my duty for the party. I’m proud to do my job. Whatever is in my fate will happen.”
Shivakumar tweeted that he had received the notice from the investigating agency on Thursday night and said that he had been asked to appear at 1 pm.
“Although the sudden scheduling by ED is malafide, I believe in rule of law and will definitely participate and fully cooperate with them and abide by the law of our country,” Shivakumar said. He also claimed that the raids by the Income Tax Department on him was “politically motivated for hosting Gujarat Congress MLAs”.
In late July and early August of 2017, Shivakumar managed the stay of 44 Congress MLAs from Gujarat at a resort near Bengaluru ahead of the election for a Rajya Sabha seat. The Congress had put them up at the resort to prevent them from allegedly being poached by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Shivakumar was first raided by the Income Tax Department during that time.
The Income Tax Department has filed four cases against Shivakumar based on the raids since then. Investigators are believed to have recovered more than Rs 300 crore in undisclosed income, and cash and jewellery worth nearly Rs 15 crore.
The Income Tax Department said that Shivakumar and his associate SK Sharma used to transport huge amounts of unaccounted cash on a regular basis through illegal channels with help of three other accused.
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