2G case: Court summons Raja, Kanimozhi for money laundering

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) A Delhi court Friday summoned former telecom minister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal with 16 others for money laundering in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

The court has taken cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate's charge sheet in the case, naming these people.

Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge O.P. Saini summoned Raja and others for hearing May 26.

The charge sheet has named Raja, Kanimozhi, Dayalu Ammal, Swan telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt. Ltd. (KFVPL) Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Bollywood producer Karim Morani, Kalaignar TV director Sharad Kumar and P. Amirthan.

The companies named are Swan Telecom Pvt. Ltd. (STPL), Kusegaon Realty Pvt. Ltd., Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (Cineyug Films), Kalaignar TV (KTV) Pvt. Ltd., Dynamix Realty, Eversmile Construction Company Private Limited, Conwood Construction and Developers (P) Ltd., DB Realty Ltd., and Nihar Construction Pvt. Ltd.

The accused have been booked under various sections dealing with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

"The investigation revealed that amount of Rs.200 crore was paid by promoters of STPL, using their group entity Dynamix Realty, to KTV, through KFVPL and CFPL (Cineyug Films) in the garb of legitimate financial transaction, that is as loan/share application money," ED counsel N.K. Matta earlier informed the special court.

Matta has said that the payment was illegal gratification for and on behalf of Raja and his associates in lieu of illegal favours given to the STPL for grant of UAS licence.

The ED has apprised the court that investigation has also revealed that the return of Rs.200 crore has been done alongwith the additional amount in order to show this illegal payment in the guise of legal and bonafide financial transactions.

"Thus, in garb of loan it was in fact the illegal gratification, which was apparently projected as untainted property," the ED has said.

Besides, the reverse flow of such amount further establishes the projections of proceeds of crime as untainted, but is nothing but the process of laundering of money, it added. The investigating agency held that the entire amount, as stated, to the tune of Rs.223.55 crore was, in fact, proceeds of crime.

It said that "the projection of tainted money as untainted was done by the accused persons/entities in two parts, firstly when the money flowed from Dynamix Realty to KTV and again when the money flowed back from KTV to Dynamix Realty".

"For the both transactions, i.e. giving the money to KTV and its subsequent return, the accused persons/entities gave it a colour of regular business transactions with the intent to conceal its true nature and to project the said tainted amount as untainted," the investigating agency said.

The ED informed the court that "the process of structuring of these dubious transactions for layering of the illegal gratification is a process to project the illicit money as untainted and is squarely covered under the provisions of the PMLA".