New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate summoned NCP leader Jayant Patil on Friday in connection with the alleged IL&FS scam case. The investigation pertains to alleged irregularities in IL&FS Group's loan and equity investment in Kohinoor CTNL, one of the defaulters. Kohinoor CTNL is developing the Kohinoor Square tower in Dadar (West).
Patil's statement may be recorded in connection with the case at the ED's office located at Ballard Estate in South Mumbai. Earlier on Wednesday, the ED carried out searches against two former auditor firms of IL&FS -- BSR and Associates and Deloitte Haskins and Sells.
The premises linked to the two auditors in Mumbai were searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they added. "This routine inquiry is in respect to an ongoing matter regarding a former client and we continue to extend our full cooperation to the authorities," an spokesperson for Deloitte said.
The action came a week after the Supreme Court set aside a Bombay High Court verdict that quashed an SFIO probe against the two companies, both former auditors of IL&FS Financial Services, paving the way for action against them under the Companies Act and allowing the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take forward its enquiry against them.
The Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) filed for bankruptcy in 2018. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is an agency under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs that investigates and prosecutes white collar crimes and frauds.
The money laundering probe into the alleged financial irregularities at IL&FS was launched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2019 after the federal agency took cognisance of a Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) FIR filed against IRL, ITNL (group companies of IL&FS), its officials and others.
The Enforcement Directorate also took cognisance of a complaint filed by the SFIO against IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN) and its officials. The Enforcement Directorate had also attached assets of various entities in this case in the past.
