New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to American millionaire Neville Roy Singham in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to online news portal NewsClick. The summons were issued under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Singham, who is currently residing in Shanghai, China, is accused of being involved in disseminating Chinese propaganda in India. The ED initiated the investigation in 2021 and has already issued a summons to Singham once before. However, he has not responded to any of the summonses.
The ED has now routed the fresh summons through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and sent them to Singham on his email id and through the Chinese government channels. The agency has also sought Letters Rogatory (LR) from a local court in order to record Singham’s statement.
The ED’s investigation into NewsClick is part of a larger crackdown on money laundering and terror financing in India. The agency has been investigating several other cases in recent months, including the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD).
The issuance of the fresh summons to Singham is a significant development in the NewsClick terror case. If Singham fails to respond to the summons, the ED could take legal action against him.
NewsClick, the media outlet they are associated with, has contested these arrests and police actions and has sought redress from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case on October 30.
Purkayastha and Amit Chakraborty are also facing allegations of foreign funding violations as they have been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
NewsClick has vehemently denied all allegations, categorizing the police actions as an attempt to “stifle fearless voices.” The organization has consistently refuted claims that it received funds or directions from Chinese entities.
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