AgustaWestland Case: Businessman Anoop Gupta sent to 5 days ED remand

A Special Court on Saturday remanded for five days businessman Anoop Gupta, arrested in the AgustaWestland Money Laundering case.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) who arrested Gupta produced him before Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar on Saturday and sought 14 days remand to confront him with voluminous documents received through LRs to the other persons to unearth the larger conspiracy and money trail.

In the court, ED submitted that Euro 70 Million (proceeds of crime) were laundered through two channels for payments of kickbacks to various political persons, bureaucrats, air force officials and others to influence the contract for the supply of 12 VVIP Helicopters in favour of AgustaWestland International Limited.

ED through Special Public Prosecutor NK Matta and Mohd Faraz submitted that m/s IDS Information Technology and Engineering Sarl, Tunisia has received proceeds of crime to the tune of Euro 24.37 million from AgustaWestland and out of this about Euro 12.4 million were further transferred to Interstellar Technologies Limited, Mauritius and proceeds of crime were further transferred to various compes including Rawasi Al Khaleej General Trading LLC Dubai which was incorporated in 2007 by M/S KRBL DMCC, Dubai and accused Anoop Gupta was one of the Director of m/s KRBL DMCC and this Company was a subsidiary of m/s KRBL Limited, India and accused Anoop Gupta is Joint Managing Director of m/s KRBL Limited.

It is submitted that in 2009, the entire stake (49 per cent shareholding) of M/S KRBL DMCC held in M/S RAKGT was transferred in the name of Sh. Anurag Potdar but in fact even after March 2009, M/S RAKGT is under the control of M/S KRBL Limited through accused Anoop Gupta and part of the proceeds of crime received in m/s RAKGT were transferred to m/s KRBL Limited.

ED had received some documents on December 17, 2020 which shows that the accused was controlling financial transactions of the said company. It is submitted that bribe was paid from 2008-2010 ED also said Anoop Gupta gave an evasive reply during questioning and needs to be confronted with voluminous records.

On the other hand, Senior Advocate Vikas Pages appeared for accused Anoop Gupta objects to the submissions made by Counsel for ED. He strongly submitted that accused has been arrested without any justified reason and added that one complaint and six supplementary complaints had already been filed.

Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa submits that, ED had searched the premises of the accused on September 6, 2017, and has seized some documents and thereafter accused was called in 2018 and he joined and cooperated in the investigation.

It is further submitted that whatever the documents he had, he had already provided and now there is no reason for police remand of accused. It is also submitted that even as per the ED case accused had transferred the entire stake of M/s KRBL DMCC held in M/s RAKGT to one Anurag Potdar, then how accused can explain about the documents which were executed after March 31, 2009. It is submitted that accused has medical history and is suffering from diabetes, Mellitus hypertension, renal calculus and has also Pneumonia suffered Covid in November 2020 and is on medication.

( With inputs from ANI )