The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against Anil Ambani and Reliance Communications over alleged fraud of more than Rs 2,929 crore to State Bank of India, NDTV reported on Wednesday.
The case is based on an FIR lodged by the CBI last month. On August 21, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) booked RCom, Ambani, unnamed public servants and others for defrauding State Bank of India. CBI officers also searched Ambani's residence and RCom’s offices.
The SBI had classified RCom and Ambani as "fraud" on June 13 and sent a report to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on June 24.
Anil Ambani's spokesperson, in a statement, "strongly denied all allegations and charges" and said he "will duly defend himself".
"The complaint filed by SBI pertains to matters dating back more than 10 years. At the relevant time, Ambani was a non-executive director of the company, with no involvement in the day-to-day management," the spokesperson said.
The ED had also questioned Ambani in a money laundering case linked to alleged multiple bank loan fraud cases worth crores against his group companies.
The agency has been investigating the alleged diversion of around Rs 3,000 crore in loans given to Reliance Group companies by Yes Bank between 2017 and 2019. It had found that the promoters of the bank had also received payments just before the loans were sanctioned, indicating a quid pro quo arrangement.
