Enforcement Directorate Issues Fresh Summons to Anil Ambani in FEMA Investigation Linked to Highway Project

The investigation relates to the Jaipur-Reengus highway project.

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani to appear before it on November 17 in a FEMA case after he missed his scheduled appointment on Friday.

Sources from the ED stated that the agency declined Ambani's request to testify through "virtual means".

A spokesperson for the 66-year-old businessman issued a statement saying he has written to the federal probe agency pledging "full cooperation" in the investigation.

According to sources, the agency had requested Ambani to appear in person on Friday to record his statement under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The investigation concerns the Jaipur-Reengus highway project.

In a previous statement, the ED reported that after recently attaching assets worth Rs 7,500 crore belonging to Ambani and his companies under anti-money laundering legislation, a search of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd revealed that an alleged Rs 40 crore was "siphoned" from the highway project.

"Funds moved through Surat-based shell companies to Dubai. The trail has uncovered a wider international hawala network exceeding Rs 600 crore," the agency had stated.

The ED has collected statements from various individuals, including alleged hawala dealers, which led to their decision to summon Ambani, according to sources.

Hawala refers to illegal movement of funds, primarily in cash.

"The matter (FEMA case) is 15 years old, dating back to 2010. It concerns issues associated with a road contractor," the statement mentioned.

In 2010, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd awarded an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract for building the JR Toll Road (Jaipur-Reengus highway), it explained.

"This was a purely domestic contract with no foreign exchange component involved whatsoever. The JR Toll Road has been fully completed and has been under the National Highways Authority of India since 2021," the statement clarified.

Ambani is not a board member of Reliance Infrastructure.

"He served the company for about 15 years, from April 2007 to March 2022, only as a non-executive director, and was never involved in day-to-day management of the company," it added.

The businessman has previously been questioned by the ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged Rs 17,000 crore bank fraud against his group companies.