New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday granted five days further remand of Gautam Khaitan to Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a black money case under the Black Money Act.
During the hearing in Patiala House Court, ED argued that it can’t supply the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) to the accused at this stage since it is an internal document.
It also asserted that a list of documents has been submitted to the court.
Claiming that more than Rs 800 crore of Indian rupees has been under the radar, the probe agency had sought seven days more custody of Khaitan.
Arguing for the need of the remand, the ED counsel said: “Lately we have found evidence of different entries in other accounts. If he goes out, he will close the accounts, and our probe will be hampered”.
ED lawyer also argued that there was huge tempering of evidence and if the agency doesn’t get the opportunity of questioning the accused in the custody, the investigation will be hampered.
Khaitan’s counsel Pramod Kumar Dubey raised questions on the arrest and claimed that he was arrested from the airport in a hurry.
“He was not fleeing from the justice and he has been pressurised to give some info of the Defence Deal,” Khaitan’s counsel argued in the court.
The central government agency had sought Khaitan’s custody to unravel the conspiracy regarding his alleged unidentified assets of more than Rs 500 crore.
Khaitan is also an accused in multi-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal kickback case.
Last week, the Income Tax Department sleuths raided offices and various other properties in Delhi-NCR belonging to him. I-T department claimed to have gathered evidence against Khaitan for allegedly receiving kickbacks in other Defence deals too, besides AgustaWestland during the UPA tenure.
On the recommendation of the I-T Department, ED had registered a case against him under the Black Money Act.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]