Indian financial investigation agency, Enforcement Directorate has attached assets valued at ₹97.79 crore ($12.25 million) belonging to businessman Raj Kundra and her actor-wife Shilpa Shetty. The seizure includes prime properties – a flat in Juhu, Mumbai, a bungalow located in Pune, besides several equity shares. This has been done as part of a wider investigation into a suspected Bitcoin Ponzi scheme, reported ANI.
Though Kundra has not been found guilty, investigation of his involvement in the Bitcoin Ponzi scheme and other money laundering activities is still on. As part of it, ED issued notices to Shetty and her businessman husband on September 27, directing them to vacate their house.
However, their advocate Prashant Patil pointed out in the court on Wednesday that as per the PMLA’s provisions, once a PAO is confirmed by an adjudicating authority, the aggrieved persons gets 45 days to challenge the same at PMLA Appellate Tribunal in Delhi, but the agency issued the eviction notice before the lapse of the 45. He, therefore, requested the court to stay the eviction as an interim measure, as reported by Hindustan Times.
On Thursday, ED agreed to put eviction notices on hold. Special counsel Satya Prakash stated that the ED won’t take further action until the couple appeals to the Appellate Tribunal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and receives a decision on their stay plea. The court has recorded the ED’s statement and disposed off couple’s writ petition.
Now, the advocate has also issued an official statement to the media, to clear the air about the matter. “At the outset , let us first clarify about the fake media reports that Mr Raj Kundra and His wife Mrs Shilpa Shetty Kundra have anything to do with the ponzi scam of cryptocurrency. That is not even the case of Enforcement Directorate. It is clarified that Mr Kundra and Mrs Shilpa Shetty Kundra have nothing to do the so called alleged Ponzi scam which had its roots in 2017,” read the statement.
Talking about the eviction notice, Prashant added in the statement, “There was an eviction notice issued by ED against the residential properties of my clients , which has been stayed by the Honourable High Court , granting time to Mr Raj Kundra and Mrs Shilpa Shetty Kundra to file an appeal before the Honourable Appellate Tribunal at Delhi for further reliefs.”
Prashant also assured that his client will offer full support and cooperate with the investigation of Enforcement Directorate .
