A Delhi court on Friday summoned Ratul Puri, nephew of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, as accused in a money laundering case linked to an alleged fertiliser scam and payment of Rs 685 crore as kickbacks.
Special Judge Vikas Dhull, while taking cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet in the case, directed Puri to appear before the court on January 18. The judge passed the order while noting the submissions made by the ED's Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana that prima facie there were enough evidence to prosecute Puri in the case. Puri is also an accused in cases related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam and Moser Baer scam.
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He is currently out on bail in cases related to both the scams. According to the ED, the fertiliser scam, also involving RJD Rajya Sabha MP Amarendra Dhari Singh and IFFCO Managing Director and CEO U S Awasthi, relates to illegal commissions worth over Rs 685 crore allegedly paid to the NRI sons of Awasthi and Indian Potash Ltd (IPL) Managing Director P S Gahlaut, as well as others by overseas suppliers during 2007-14.
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) is a multi-state farmers' cooperative, while IPL is its company involved in supplying fertilisers, for which the government provides subsidies to keep rates affordable, the ED said. It alleged that Awasthi and others in IFFCO generated proceeds of crime and layered it through various unrelated entities and part of this was then transferred to the entities controlled by Awasthi and others.
