Yes Bank Crisis: Fresh ED Summons for Anil Ambani, Chandra & Goyal

It is understood that Ambani has sought exemption on health grounds from the agency and he may be issued a new date.

File Image of RCom Chairman Anil Ambani.

(Photo: Reuters) 

Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has been issued a fresh summons by the ED in connection with its money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others, officials said on Monday, 16 March.

Ambani has now been asked to appear on 19 March, they said. The ED also issued summons to Subhash Chandra of Essel Group, former Jet Airways chairperson Naresh Goyal and the promoter of DHFL, Kapil Wadhawan, in connection with a case involving Yes Bank and its founder Rana Kapoor.

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

However, Ambani, 60, sought exemption from the appearance on some personal health grounds. Thus he was allotted the new date.

Ambani's group companies are stated to have taken loans of about Rs 12,800 crore from the bank that turned NPA. The Reliance Group had last week said in a statement that its entire debt from Yes Bank was fully secured and was availed in the ordinary course of business.

"Reliance Group is committed to honouring repayments of all its borrowings from Yes Bank Ltd through its various asset monetisation programmes which are all at advanced stages," the statement had said.

Ambani’s Statement to be Recorded Under PMLA

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in a 6 March 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 the 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 Rana, 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.