ED probe to extend beyond Queen's Baton Relay

The Enforcement Directorate is probing possible forex violations in the overlays work carried out for the recently held 19th Commonwealth Games besides the irregularities in the Queen's Baton Relay.

The Enforcement Directorate is probing possible forex violations in the overlays work carried out for the recently held 19th Commonwealth Games besides the irregularities in the Queen's Baton Relay.

HT Image

The Directorate, which has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report under Foreign Exchange Management Act in connection with alleged forex violations in the Relay held last year in London, is also looking into other aspects of the sporting extravaganza, an official source said.

The ED is looking at possible violations of forex as well those related to anti money-laundering laws in the overlays works, the source said.

The execution of overlays works, worth several hundred crores, is also being probed by other agencies like the Income Tax Department. The overlays contracts are also under the scanner of the Central Vigilance Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Some of the consortiums that were awarded these contracts have a foreign arm too. The ED is also scrutinising the official records on joint ventures and investments that enabled the firm to qualify for the bidding, the source said.

According to the source, the ED had questioned CWG Organising Committee's Director General V K Verma over the overlays work carried out by his agency.

The I-T Department has been at forefront of probe into overlays work and conducted two rounds of raids on prominent contractors and firms associated with the overlays works.

Sources said the large number of documents collected by the Department during these searches would be shared with the ED and could form the basis for any other case that could be registered by the Directorate.