New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent a second summon to Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President president and MLA Jayant Patil in the alleged IL&FS money laundering case and he has been asked to appear before the agency on May 22, as reported by news agency ANI.
The central agency had initially asked him to appear for questioning in the case pertaining to alleged financial irregularities in the now-bankrupt financial services firm IL&FS on May 12. He, however, sought time from the agency for about 10 days citing some personal and official engagements.
Patil, who has held home and finance portfolios in the Maharashtra government in the past, told reporters last week that he never had any association or financial dealings with Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS).
According to PTI, the alleged payment of some "commission amount" by some accused companies to entities linked to Patil are under the scanner of the agency and it is understood he will be questioned about these transactions and his statement recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On Wednesday, the ED carried out searches against two former auditor firms of IL&FS - BSR and Associates and Deloitte Haskins and Sells - in connection with its money laundering probe into alleged financial irregularities at the company, PTI reported citing official sources.
The premises linked to the two auditors in Mumbai were searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they added.
The money laundering probe into the alleged financial irregularities at IL&FS was launched by the ED in 2019 on the basis of an FIR filed by the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and a complaint filed by the SFIO against IL&FS Financial Services and its officials.
The agency had also attached assets of various entities in this case in the past.
The Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) filed for bankruptcy in 2018.