BENGALURU: A notice was issued by Justice Krishna S Dixit of the Karnataka High Court to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after Sudarshan Ramesh, brother of Bitcoin scam accused Srikrishna, filed a petition alleging high-handedness of ED which restrained him from travelling to the Netherlands on January 13, 2022.
Sudarshan, it was stated, came to India in August 2021 to visit his ailing father. In November 2021, ED summoned him and he appeared on three occasions. Although he was scheduled to depart for the Netherlands on January 13, 2022, for some reasons, authorities restrained him from boarding the flight from BIAL. He stated that he had complied with the immigration protocols.
His permissive tenure for extending his stay outside the Netherlands expires on January 27, 2022. It was obligatory on the part of the petitioner in order to resume his work permit to reach the Netherlands by January 19, 2022.
If a permanent Dutch resident violates the condition, the same will lead to irreparable consequences which may even amount to cancellation or withdrawal of his resident permit, the petitioner alleged. Contending that he had no knowledge of the scam as he was staying abroad during that time, the 32-year-old petitioner alleged that the ED had found nothing concrete to establish his connection with the scam. It was evident from the fact that the petitioner had not been further summoned nor was arraigned as an accused in any other criminal proceedings, he added.
Plea by IMA scam accused dismissed
The Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition filed by Abbas Mohammed Khan, an accused in the IMA Ponzi scam, questioning an order passed by the special court on October 1, 2019, taking cognisance of the offences against the accused, based on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Assistant Director of ED filed a complaint against the petitioner and others before the Special Court for the offences punishable under Sections 44 and 45 read with Sections 3, 70, 4, and 8(5) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The accused cheated more than 30,000 middle-class and lower middle-class people.