Source: indiatoday.in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trouble is mounting for Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri. The Delhi High Court has rejected his bail plea in a money-laundering probe related to the AgustaWestland case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ratul Puri has been under the probe scanner of the ED in connection with the high-profile AgustaWestland VVIP choppers corruption case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was facing a non-bailable warrant issued by a court after the ED submitted to it that the businessman might try to tamper with the evidence and influence witnesses “as he already did earlier”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The order was passed by Justice Sunil Gaur, who heard the arguments of the counsels for Enforcement Directorate and Puri earlier in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Puri, contended that he was cooperating in the investigation and legal malice and vendetta were writ large in the agency’s conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, representing ED, opposed the plea saying Puri was evasive in his replies to the agency during investigations and his answers were ex-facie misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said evasiveness of reply is a ground to seek his custodial interrogation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ED on Monday told the court that Ratul Puri was evading probe in the AgustaWestland chopper scam-related money laundering case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agency opposed Puri’s plea and said it had called him on various occasions, including on Sunday and Monday, but he did not appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Puri, in his plea through advocate Vijay Aggarwal, had challenged the August 6 order of the trial court dismissing his anticipatory bail plea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On August 9, the trial court issued a non-bailable warrant against Puri on ED’s plea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the purchase of 12 VVIP choppers from Italy-based Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary, AgustaWestland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The deal was scrapped by the NDA government in 2014 over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of payment of kickbacks for securing the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the ED, the proceeds of the crime have been deposited in the accounts of different companies owned by Puri and he is a key link to unearth the modus operandi adopted by the other accused and to determine last-mile connectivity of the proceeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, Ratul Puri was arrested by the ED in a fresh case of money laundering linked to an alleged Rs 354 crore bank loan fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday dubbed the arrest of his nephew Ratul Puri in a money laundering case as “action with malicious intention”, even as the BJP said the Enforcement Directorate’s move was based on its investigation.<\/p>\n