Ambani, Chandra get ED summons over Yes deals

Jet’s Naresh Goyal, Indiabulls’ Gehlaut also called

New Delhi/Mumbai, March 16: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned top corporate honchos, including Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, Essel Group promoter Subhash Chandra, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and Indiabulls chairman Sameer Gehlaut, to appear before it this week in connection with Yes Bank dealings, officials said on Monday.

DHFL CMD Kapil Wadhawan, recently arrested by the ED in another case, has also been called for questioning as part of its money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others.

The officials said Ambani, 60, was first called for questioning on Monday but he sought exemption from appearance on some personal grounds.

The agency took up the money laundering probe against Kapoor and others after the Reserve Bank imposed a moratorium on the crisis-ridden Yes Bank earlier this month.

The ED has accused Kapoor, 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 allegedly turned non-performing asset (NPA).

The Reliance Group had last week said in a statement that its entire debt from the bank was fully secured and was availed in the ordinary course of business.

Mr Ambani's nine group companies are stated to have taken loans of about Rs 12,800 crore from the bank. The ED, officials said, wants to take the probe into the case forward and hence the questioning and recording of statements of these business heads under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is essential.

While Essel Group has an alleged unpaid loan of Rs 8,400 crore towards Yes Bank, Dewan Housing Finance Limited has an amount of about Rs 3,700 crore.

"Essel Group has never made any transactions with Mr Rana Kapoor or his family or for that matter any private entities controlled by them," Subhash Chandra said in a tweet.

"I have been requested by ED to make a statement on the information which is already available with them. I will be more than happy to be personally present at their office, honouring their request, in order to extend all the required co-operation," Chandra tweeted.

Jet Airways loan amount is stated to be about Rs 550 crore, they said.