The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday recorded the statement of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel at his residence for the third time in the Sterling Biotech Limited case.
Denying any link between Mr. Patel and the case, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “Frustration and political vendetta is writ large. Its links are traceable from the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Gujarat connection to Mr. Ahmed Patel.”
Mr. Singhvi said: “They [the BJP] have not been able to digest the fact that they have not been able to browbeat Mr. Patel or other Congress functionaries. The rules and instruments of oppression available with the government are being blatantly misused to harass.”
The ED had first questioned Mr. Patel on June 27. The investigation is based on one of the two FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Sterling Biotech and others in October 2017.
One case alleges routing of undeclared funds belonging to unknown Income-Tax Department officials, while the second case pertains to alleged bank loan defaults to the tune of ₹8,100 crore.
The main accused persons — Sterling Biotech promoters Chetan and Nitin Sandesara — fled the country along with their family members. The ED has so far attached assets worth over ₹14,500 crore in the bank loan case.
