india

Updated: Aug 09, 2019 17:29 IST

Delhi court has issued non-bailable warrants against Ratul Puri who is being probed for alleged money laundering in the Rs 3,600 crore VIP choppers scam. Puri is also MP CM Kamal Nath’s nephew.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sought a Non- Bailable Warrant (NBW) against the businessman fearing he may flee the country and might influence witnesses and tamper with the evidence.

The agency sought the NBW on the grounds that Puri was not cooperating and untraceable. The ED had told special judge Arvind Kumar that despite a notice asking him to join the investigation before the agency, he had failed to turn up.

Earlier on August 6, the court had dismissed Puri’s anticipatory bail application stating that it was not a fit case for anticipatory bail since the investigation and allegations were of “serious nature”.

The ED, while arguing on the anticipatory bail application, had claimed to have incriminating evidence to show Puri’s complicity. The agency had said that the diary of an accused in the case - Sushen Mohan Gupta - and emails recovered from an accused-turned-approver Rajiv Saxena, show Puri was in receipt of proceeds of crime.

Puri’s counsel, senior advocate Vijay Aggarwal, has denied Puri’s role in the case. He had earlier said, “My client’s name is being unnecessarily dragged five years after the investigation begun in the AgustaWestland. This comes after his utmost cooperation with the ED, despite him having joined the investigation 25 times and given thousands of documents.”