Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Ajay Devgn to be summoned by ED for Panama Papers case?
| Sep 28, 2017, 14:23 IST
Last year some shocking revelations about some Bollywood celebrities were revealed after the Panama Papers which are documents that contain legal information of many offshore clients, were leaked. Amongst these celebrities were some big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Ajay Devgn. While the incident had caused an uproar in the country, it had almost died down as soon as it had surfaced. Now almost a year later The Mumbai team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started giving fresh summons to celebrities involved in Panama Papers Case.
According to sources, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgn are amongst the names against whom summons would be issued shortly from the agency under Section 37 of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). A source revealed, "In a phase-wise manner, concerned individuals and entities are being summoned and statements have been recorded. In the next phase, another set of names would be summoned. It could include film stars as well, whose names and addresses were found to be part of the leaked data of 2,10,000 offshore companies incorporated by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca." The source continued, "We would insist that the actors themselves should come at ED office and face the investigation, rather than sending their representatives."
However, Amitabh Bachchan has denied any links to the Panama Papers. In a press release, he had stated, "I do not know any of the companies referred i.e. Sea Bulk Shipping Company Ltd, Lady Shipping Ltd, Treasure Shipping Ltd, and Tramp Shipping Ltd. I have never been a director of any of the above-stated companies. It is possible that my name has been misused. I have paid all my taxes including on monies spent by me overseas. Monies that I have remitted overseas have been in compliance with the law, including remittances through LRS, after paying Indian taxes."
We wonder what will happen next. Stay tuned for more updates.
According to sources, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgn are amongst the names against whom summons would be issued shortly from the agency under Section 37 of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). A source revealed, "In a phase-wise manner, concerned individuals and entities are being summoned and statements have been recorded. In the next phase, another set of names would be summoned. It could include film stars as well, whose names and addresses were found to be part of the leaked data of 2,10,000 offshore companies incorporated by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca." The source continued, "We would insist that the actors themselves should come at ED office and face the investigation, rather than sending their representatives."
However, Amitabh Bachchan has denied any links to the Panama Papers. In a press release, he had stated, "I do not know any of the companies referred i.e. Sea Bulk Shipping Company Ltd, Lady Shipping Ltd, Treasure Shipping Ltd, and Tramp Shipping Ltd. I have never been a director of any of the above-stated companies. It is possible that my name has been misused. I have paid all my taxes including on monies spent by me overseas. Monies that I have remitted overseas have been in compliance with the law, including remittances through LRS, after paying Indian taxes."
We wonder what will happen next. Stay tuned for more updates.