NEW DELHI, India — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh summons directing Reliance ADAG Group chairman Anil D. Ambani to appear in person at its Delhi headquarters on Monday, according to officials familiar with the development.
Ambani had skipped the agency’s questioning on Friday after requesting to appear virtually, a request the ED rejected. In response, investigators issued a new summons requiring his personal appearance on November 17.
In a statement to the media, Ambani said he is “willing to offer to appear by virtual means” and intends to “fully cooperate with ED on all matters.” His statement also emphasized that the summons relates to a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) inquiry rather than any allegation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to Ambani’s team, the inquiry involves a 2010 domestic EPC contract for the Jaipur–Reengus Toll Road and concerns issues connected to a road contractor, “with no foreign exchange component.” The statement also noted that Ambani served as a non-executive director at Reliance Infrastructure from 2007 to 2022 and was “never involved in the day-to-day management” of the company.
The ED had previously questioned Ambani for nearly nine hours in August as part of a money laundering investigation tied to an alleged Rs 17,000 crore loan fraud involving several Reliance Group companies. He did not appear for the latest round of questioning on November 14.
The renewed summons comes shortly after the ED provisionally attached over 132 acres of land valued at Rs 4,462.81 crore at the Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City in Navi Mumbai under PMLA provisions. Earlier attachments included 42 properties worth more than Rs 3,083 crore linked to alleged bank fraud cases involving Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCOM), Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd., and Reliance Home Finance Ltd.
The total attachment in these cases now exceeds Rs 7,545 crore, the agency said, adding that it remains focused on recovering proceeds of crime and returning funds to affected lenders.
The ED’s probe stems from a CBI FIR under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 420 (cheating), along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to investigators, RCOM and its group entities borrowed extensively from domestic and foreign lenders between 2010 and 2012, leaving an outstanding amount of Rs 40,185 crore. Five banks have since classified the loan accounts as fraudulent. (Source: IANS)
