Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Delhi court on Wednesday that it has summoned Ratul Puri, nephew of Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath, for interrogation in a money laundering case related to the Agusta Westland VVIP chopper scam. It is seen as a jolt to CM Kamal Nath just ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.
ED told Special Judge Arvind Kumar that Puri, the Chairman of Hindustan Power projects Pvt. Ltd, was summoned for confronting him with Sushen Mohan Gupta, an arrested middleman in the case, whose custodial interrogation was extended by three more days by the court. Seeking the extension of Gupta’s custody, ED told the court that he was required to be confronted with various people including Puri in the case pertaining to the now scrapped Rs 3,600 crore chopper deal.
On the other hand, Puri denied having any connection or involvement of any kind in defence or the case. His company said, “He would be fully cooperating with the ED investigation and provide any clarification or information as may be required.” According to ED sources, Puri’s name appeared in the statement recorded by middleman and Dubai-based businessman Rajeev Saxena, who recently turned approver in the case.
