Patel quizzed by ED 3rd day in row
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday questioned senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel for the third time in connection with its multicrore money laundering probe involving Gujaratbased firm Sterling Biotech and its promoters, Nitin Sandesara and Chetan Sandesara.
A three-member team of the central probe agency along with a few other officials reached Patel’s home in the Lutyens’ zone of central Delhi at around 11 a.m on Thursday. By the time of going this report to the press, his questioning was still on. Earlier on Tuesday, Patel was interrogated for over 10 hours by the ED sleuths at his Delhi residence and for 8 hours on Saturday.
“Patel’s statement is being recorded under the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA). Investigators also confronted senior Congress leader with certain fresh documentary evidence during questioning on Thursday,” sources said.
He is being questioned about his purported links with Vadodara-based Sterling Biotech pharmaceutical company promoters, the Sandesara brothers, and alleged dealings of his family members with them. The agency, last year, had questioned Patel’s son Faisal and sonin-law Irfan Siddiqui and recorded their statements in connection with the case. The two were questioned in context with the statement of one Sunil Yadav, an employee of the Sandesara group, who earlier recorded his statement before the agency.