The summons issued to former IPL Boss Lalit Modi by the Enforcement Directorate have been returned by his lawyer, who said he was not authorised to receive them, according to the Central agency.
I have not received any such summons. ED has Modi’s address in the UK. They are required to serve him as per the procedure prescribed in law.
– Advocate Mehmood M Abdi, Lalit Modi’s Lawyer
The Enforcement Directorate issued summons to Modi last week in a money-laundering case registered against him, seeking his presence at its office within three weeks.
An ED officer said the summons were returned by his lawyer who said he was not authorised by Lalit Modi to receive them.
The case relates to a 2008 deal between World Sports Group (WSG) and Multi Screen Media (MSM) for television rights of Indian Premier League (IPL) worth Rs 425 crore.
In 2008, BCCI awarded 10-year media rights to WSG for USD 918 million. WSG entered into a deal with MSM to make Sony the official broadcaster. The contract was replaced a year later with a nine-year deal where MSM paid USD 1.63 billion.
The ED started a probe in 2009 under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to investigate allegations that payment of Rs 425 crore facilitation fee by MSM Singapore to WSG Mauritius was made in an illegal way.
(With Inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)