NEW DELHI: An Enforcement Directorate (ED) team questioned senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel for eight hours at his Delhi residence and recorded his statement in connection with an alleged Rs 14,500 crore Sterling Biotech bank fraud case.
Officials in the agency said a three-member team reached Patel’s home around 11.30 am. The team members were seen carrying files and wearing masks and gloves as precautionary measures against Covid spread.
They said the Congress leader’s statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as the politician’s purported links with the Sandesara brothers, main accused in the Sterling-Biotech case, are under scanner.
The ED had earlier summoned Patel (70), Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, twice for questioning in the case, but he cited prevailing Covid-19 guidelines that advise senior citizens to stay indoors to remain safe from the pandemic. The agency then assured the Congress leader that all care would be taken while he is questioned at its office, but it was pointed out by his legal team that there are media reports about positive cases being found at the ED headquarters too.
The agency then told him that they are willing to visit his home as taking the probe forward in the case was important. Subsequently, the time for home visit was fixed and the agency informed Patel that they would send the investigating officer of the case to him for questioning.
The case pertains to the alleged Rs 14,500 crore bank loan fraud that is said to have been perpetrated by the Vadodara-based pharma firm, Sterling Biotech, and its main promoters Nitin Sandesara, Chetan Sandesara and Deepti Sandesara all of whom are absconding. Later, Patel said his conscience was clear and he had nothing to hide. He accused the government of “using probe agencies every time it faced a crisis or when there was an election”.
Sterling Biotech scam
The case pertains to the alleged Rs14,500 cr bank loan fraud that is said to have been perpetrated by Vadodara-based pharma firm Sterling Biotech and its promoters Nitin Sandesara, Chetan Sandesara and Deepti Sandesara, all of whom are absconding. It is alleged that the company took loans of Rs5,383 crore from a domestic consortium led by Andhra Bank, which had turned into non-performing assets.