The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for a money-laundering investigation in connection with the Panama Papers leak on Monday.
According to sources, the EC has opened an investigation into the situation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act of 2002 (PMLA).
For a long time, the Panama Papers case has been under investigation. Officials from the ED have already enlisted the help of numerous prominent citizens of the country in the inquiry. Rai-Bachchan had been summoned for interrogation before, but she had requested time twice before, according to sources. Rai-Bachchan was asked to give her testimony in the case on November 9. It's unclear whether the actress will testify in front of the investigators.
According to a statement received by Time Of India, she was summoned to join the investigation by Monday, according to a top ED official." We summoned her for December 20. As of now we haven't got any reply from her side. The summon was sent to her Mumbai residence," said an ED official.
The actress is expected to appear in front of the probe agency today. The ED wants to question her on allegations that she is stashing money in other countries.
The Panama Papers are a collection of leaked documents that reveal widespread fraud and tax evasion by people and corporations around the world. Rai-Bachchan's name was among 500 Indians implicated in a major leak of 11.5 million tax data that exposed their covert offshore operations. Actor Amitabh Bachchan's name has already surfaced in the Panama Papers case, which is also being investigated by the IRS.
On the work front, the actress, who was last seen in 'Fanney Khan', will make a comeback with filmmaker Mani Ratnam's historical fiction drama 'Ponniyin Selvan' after a four-year absence.
