Panama Papers probe: Bollywood actors to be quizzed by ED before December 31
Preliminary examination of documents submitted by actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and others named in Panama Papers has been completed. They will be questioned by ED before the end of this year.
All corporate entities and individuals, including Bollywood stars like the Bachchans and Ajay Devgn, named in the Panama Papers Leak (PPL) will be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by the end of this year, according to senior officials.
A deadline has been set by the ED to complete the investigation in all 46 Panama Papers cases. As of now, about 20-25 entities/ individuals have been summoned by the directorate.
"Statements have been recorded in some cases. Those left will be summoned and interrogated this month itself. And in a few cases, prosecution has begun", said a senior ED official.
Preliminary examination of documents submitted by the actors named in the Panama Papers has been completed.
The actors had earlier submitted documents of their financial dealings with the agency. To get further clarity, some actors will be summoned under Section 37 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). With regard to some entities that skipped ED summons, the directorate said, "If this continues, the agency would go ahead and take action".
Earlier, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said that a total of 424 names and 256 groups were under investigation in Panama Papers cases under 13 Director General of Income Tax (DGIT) jurisdictions across the country.
At the All India Zonal Office Conference held at New Delhi last month, a decision was taken to complete the Panama Papers probe by this year end.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley clarified that no person will be prosecuted until thorough investigation is done by the designated agencies.
Once investigation into Panama Papers is complete, probe into Paradise Papers will begin. The Multi-Agency Group, a task force created for Paradise Papers' probe, is awaiting an Reserve Bank of India list. "RBI needs to give us the final list of entities/persons who have violated the banking rules", the official said.