ED rejects Anil Ambani’s virtual appearance request after he skips questioning

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has declined a request from Reliance ADAG Group chairman Anil D. Ambani to appear via virtual mode for questioning, after he failed to present himself at the agency’s Delhi office for a second round of interrogation on Friday, sources said.

Ambani, who was summoned on 14 November, did not appear in person. According to ED officials, the agency will not allow a virtual appearance despite receiving an email from the businessman expressing his willingness to join the proceedings online.

In a media statement, Ambani said he was prepared to “appear by virtual means” and would “fully cooperate with the ED on all matters”. He also clarified that the summons pertained to a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) inquiry rather than any investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to his statement, the inquiry concerns a 2010 domestic EPC contract for the Jaipur–Reengus Toll Road and relates to issues involving a road contractor, with “no foreign exchange component whatsoever”.

Ambani further noted that he is no longer on the board of Reliance Infrastructure, having served only as a non-executive director from 2007 to 2022, without involvement in daily operations.

The ED summoned Ambani again in connection with an ongoing money laundering probe involving an alleged Rs 17,000 crore loan fraud linked to various Reliance Group firms. In August, he underwent nearly nine hours of questioning at the Delhi headquarters.

The agency has previously attached 42 assets valued at more than Rs 3,083 crore in the bank fraud investigations involving Reliance Communications Ltd, Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd and Reliance Home Finance Ltd.

Ambani’s non-appearance on Friday is expected to prompt further action by the ED as the probe continues.

With IANS inputs