Mumbai: Former CFO of long-grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines, A Raghunathan, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here for the second day on Saturday for questioning in connection with the money laundering probe in the alleged default of over Rs 900 crore loan from IDBI bank.
“On Saturday, Raghunathan was questioned for around eight hours. He is being interrogated for the second day today,” a senior ED official said. The former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of KFA appeared before the ED office here around 11 am. The ED had issued summons to over half a dozen officials of the IDBI bank and Vijay Mallya-owned KFA under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) wherein all the individuals have been asked to submit details about their personal finances and Income Tax Returns (ITRs) of last five years to the investigators.
Apart from Raghunathan, summons have also been issued to former Chairman and Managing Director of the bank, Yogesh Agarwal and other senior executive members and officials of both the organisations. Officials had earlier indicated that the agency would question some important functionaries of the bank and the airlines before they decide on issuing summons to the main player and liquor baron Mallya in the case. The ED had recently registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on a CBI FIR registered last year. The agency is also investigating the overall financial structure of Kingfisher Airlines and if any possible kick backs were made. (PTI)
The ED has pressed charges under various sections of the PMLA against Mallya and others named in the CBI complaint. The CBI had booked Mallya, director of Kingfisher Airlines, the company, Raghunathan and unknown officials of IDBI Bank in its FIR alleging that the loan was sanctioned in violation of norms regarding credit limits. The ED is looking into the “proceeds of crime” that would have been generated using the slush funds of the alleged loan fraud and it is also probing if some of this amount was sent abroad illegally, they said. The Attorney General haS informed the Supreme Court that Mallya has left the country on March 2. PTI VI NP VMN 03121804
