Nirav skips summons; ED calls for PNB MD

ED seeks info from Hong Kong, USA, UK, UAE, South Africa and Singapore

Mumbai/New Delhi, Feb. 26: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Punjab National Bank’s Managing Director and CEO Sunil Mehta in connection with with the `11,400 crore PNB scam allegedly involving diamantaire Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems Mehul Choksi, officials said on Monday.

The ED on Monday also examined the state-owned bank’s Executive Director K.V. Brahmaji Rao to understanding how the alleged fraud was detected and other banking procedures.

Mehta, officials said, will be asked similar questions when he meets ED officials this week. They said the two officials are not being examined as an accused.

Meanwhile, beleaguered diamond merchant Modi, his wife Ami and his uncle Choksi on Monday skipped their scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai.

It was not immediately known if the agency will issue fresh dates to them.

The agency on Monday also obtained the court's nod to issue six Letters Rogatories (LRs), judicial requests for obtaining information from overseas locations, pertaining to its probe against Modi.

The LRs issued will be sent, through the Union home ministry, to Hong Kong, the US, the UK, the UAE, South Africa and Singapore. The attempt of sending these judicial requests for exchange of details is aimed at obtaining the details of the overseas financial holdings of Modi and Choksi and also their bank accounts, assets, partnerships, showrooms, trusts and other assets, the officials said.

Parliament’s public accounts committee has called the revenue secretary, the top officials of the ED, I-T department and Customs to brief the panel on the PNB fraud case.