Agrasain Gehlot skipped the probe agency's summons citing health issues
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's elder brother Agrasain Gehlot skipped appearing before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today for questioning in a money-laundering case citing health issues, officials said.
His son Anupam Gehlot, however, reached the agency office in Delhi and was questioned about his business links with a company promoted by his family, Anupam Krishi.
The agency also handed over a fresh summons for his father to appear before it on August 4 in connection with the money-laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in exporting fertiliser, Anupam Gehlot said..
Agrasain Gehlot was asked by the central probe agency to depose before the investigating officer of the case on Wednesday in Delhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Officials said Agrasain Gehlot cited health issues and sought adjournment of the summons for sometime.
On July 22, the central agency raided Agrasain Gehlot's premises in Jodhpur and a few other places in connection with the case filed under the criminal charges of PMLA.
Officials had said that agency officials seized a number of documents during the raids and Agrasain Gehlot required to be questioned about his fertiliser business and his associates.
Some other people involved in the case have also been summoned by the probe agency this week.
The raids came after the agency filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED equivalent of a police FIR, in a 2007-09 Customs department case registered for alleged irregularities in the procurement and export of subsidised Muriate of Potash (MOP) meant for farmers and investigation in this case was finalised in 2013.
The ED took cognisance of the Customs FIR and a July 13 charge sheet to press money-laundering charges to probe a "smuggling syndicate" allegedly run by Agrasain Gehlot, his firm Anupam Krishi and others, officials said.
The agency said the case pertains to fraudulent export of MOP in the guise of industrial salts to buyers based in Malaysia and Taiwan. The MOP is a restricted commodity for exports so that it is easily available to farmers in the country.