Finally, Raninder appears before ED in Jalandhar
Quizzed for 4 hours, asked to submit I-T returns, travel history since 2006
JALANDHAR: After skipping the summons twice, Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh’s son Raninder appeared before the enforcement directorate (ED) on Thursday, in connection with a Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) violation.
Raninder, who was asked to appear before the agency to explain the alleged movement of funds to Switzerland and creation of a trust and a few subsidiaries in British Virgin Islands during his father’s tenure as the chief minister, was grilled for nearly four hours by ED assistant director Ajay Singh, who is the investigating officer.
Earlier, flanked by his father’s loyalists from Doaba region, Raninder joined the investigations at the Punjab ED headquarters here at 3pm along with his lawyer and All India Congress Committee (AICC) media panellist Jaiveer Shergill.
Sources said following the procedures of primary investigation in Fema cases, Raninder was asked to fill in an eight-page pro forma, seeking details of his family and property.
The ED, it is learnt, has also sought Raninder’s income tax (I-T) returns and travel summary since February 2006 within 10 days, which his lawyer has assured to submit. Shergill said it was a simple procedural summon, requiring a few documents.
‘READY TO FACE ANY PROBE’
Putting a bold face while coming out of ED headquarters, Raninder said he has nothing to hide.
“I will attend the probe as they want me to and as I have nothing to hide,” he said.
CONGMEN LAY OUT LAVISH WELCOME
A cavalcade of vehicles led by Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh, PPCC secretary Tejinder Bittu, Jalandhar district Congress chief Jagbir Brar and PPCC spokesperson Dr Navjot Dahiya led Raninder to the ED office after a lavish lunch at a city hotel. Even as Raninder was asked to appear at 3 pm on Thursday, he landed in Jalandhar on Wednesday evening and attended social gatherings at various places.