Yes Bank Probe: ED summons Anil Ambani

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani in connection with its money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others. Ambani's statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act upon deposition.

New Delhi: Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has been summoned by the ED in connection with its money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others, officials said on Monday.

They said Ambani was asked to depose at the Enforcement Directorate office in Mumbai on Monday as his group companies are among the big entities whose loans went bad after borrowing from the crisis-hit bank.

The officials said Ambani, 60, has sought exemption from appearance on some personal grounds and he may be issued a new date.

Ambani's group companies are stated to have taken loans of about Rs 12,800 crore from the bank that turned NPAs.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in a March 6 press conference that the Anil Ambani Group, Essel, ILFS, DHFL and Vodafone were among the stressed corporates Yes Bank had exposure to.

Officials said promoters of all the big companies who had taken large loans from the beleaguered bank which later turned bad are being summoned for questioning in the case to take investigation forward.

Ambani's statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) upon deposition, they said.

Kapoor, 62, is at present in ED custody after he was arrested by the central probe agency early this month.

The ED has accused Kapoor, his family members and others of laundering "proceeds of crime" worth Rs 4,300 crore by receiving alleged kickbacks in lieu of extending big loans through their bank that later turned NPA.

Investments in Yes Bank aimed at maintaining financial stability in system, not RoI: SBI chief

State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Kumar on Monday said investments by banks in crippled Yes Bank are being made to maintain financial stability in the system, and not guided by the principle of return on investment (RoI).

"The decision of the State Bank of India (SBI) and all other banks coming together, it is not guided by the return on capital principles or investments. It is all guided by providing stability to the financial system," Kumar told reporters at the listing ceremony of SBI Cards and Payment Services here.

PTI report