The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday, 31 July, made a U-turn in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, saying that a key witness in the case who was earlier presumed to be dead, was alive, reported NDTV.
The ED changed its status of the witness just a day after it told a Delhi court that he was possibly dead and said he will appear before the court whenever required.
“A little birdie tells us that we might have Khosla (witness) today or tomorrow somewhere.”DP Singh, ED’s Lawyer
Earlier, the agency had informed the special court that the witness was unavailable whenever they went to his house.
KK Khosla, a chartered accountant has allegedly been missing for months.
Khosla, who is a key witness in the case, is in possession of certain valuable documents which mention bribery amounts and the names of people who received them, according to NDTV.
The ED’s statement was made while opposing the anticipatory bail of Ratul Puri, who is the nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and a suspect in the Rs 3,600 crore chopper deal.
‘No Political Vendetta Against Ratul Puri’: ED
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday, 30 July, dismissed before a Delhi court the allegations of 'political vendetta' against Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, for being probed in connection with a money laundering case related to AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.
Puri, an industrialist, is being probed for allegedly making nefarious payments, the ED told the court.
“The man (Ratul Puri) is so influential that he is not only at flight risk, but we fear that one witness might have been killed,” DP Singh had told a Delhi court on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the court has asked that KK Khosla be present for hearing on Thursday, when the defence counsel Ratul Puri, is expected to begin his arguments, NDTV reported.
According to Hindustan Times, DP Singh also asked the court to direct Ratul Puri to join the investigation, to whom the interim protection was extended on Tuesday.
The court, however, declined the ED’s plea.
(With inputs from NDTV AND Hindustan Times.)
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