Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday, 5 April, questioned the timing of the ED summoning his nephew Ratul Puri in the AugustaWestland VVIP choppers money laundering case.
Saying he had nothing to do with his nephew's business, Nath, however, asked why the development came ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
“He (Puri) is independent and has nothing to do with politics, and I have nothing to do with his business. Whatever (allegation) there is, a full investigation should take place. I welcome it...but why is it emerging during elections?”Kamal Nath
Puri on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the AgustaWestland case in Delhi.
The central agency had on Wednesday informed a Delhi court that Puri, Chairman of Hindustan Powerprojects Pvt Ltd, was summoned in the high-profile case for interrogation.
Puri is the son of Nita and Deepak Puri, the CMD of optical storage media firm Moser Baer. Nita is Nath's sister.
The about Rs 3,600 crore deal to purchase AgustaWestland choppers for the transport of VVIPs was scrapped by India over allegations of corruption and kickbacks being paid in the deal.
The ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are probing the case and have filed multiple charge sheets.
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