Senior Congress leader K.J. George appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday and submitted a list of assets owned by him and his family members. He was questioned by ED officials for over three hours.
The ED which has registered a case against him for suspected violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, based on a complaint by anti-corruption activist Ravi Krishna Reddy, had summoned the former Minister to appear before the agency and submit details of his assets. FEMA violation is a civil offence and not a criminal offence.
In his complaint, Mr. Reddy alleged that Mr. George’s family members had several immovable assets abroad, especially in New York that he had not declared either before the Lokayukta or the Election Commission.
“I have cooperated with the ED and provided all documents that were sought and will subject myself to any inquiry in the future as well,” Mr. George told mediapersons after coming out of the ED office. He alleged that it was a conspiracy to tarnish his image. “A person not only lodges a complaint but also holds a press conference making serious allegations against me. Media broadcasts it as if it is proved. I have filed a criminal defamation against the person. Just because ED probes some allegations, it does not mean I am guilty,” he said.
A senior ED official told The Hindu that the probe was in a very preliminary stage. “We will now compare the assets list submitted by Mr. George with allegations made by the complainant. Owning an asset abroad is not a crime, but that asset needs to be bought through proper channel and money paid through bank accounts, which is what we will look at,” the official added.
