The Enforcement Directorate has summoned BJP leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and his son Raninder Singh regarding a 2016 Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violation case. Capt Amarinder Singh is required to appear at the ED’s Jalandhar office on Thursday, while his son will also be questioned on the same day. However, Capt Amarinder Singh is unlikely to attend as he recently underwent knee replacement surgery in Mohali.
Raninder Singh, in a statement, expressed their commitment to cooperate with all investigation agencies as law-abiding citizens. The case, dating back to 2016 when Amarinder Singh was in the Congress, involves allegations of foreign asset ownership, including a Swiss bank account. Raninder Singh had previously been summoned by the ED in October 2020 to explain fund transfers to Switzerland and the establishment of a trust in the British Virgin Islands.
The Income Tax Department had filed a charge sheet against the father-son duo in Ludhiana in 2016, accusing Raninder Singh of benefiting from foreign assets held through foreign business entities. It was alleged that he maintained foreign bank accounts with HSBC Private Bank (SUISSE) SA in Geneva, Switzerland. The duo had appealed the court’s decision to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, citing restrictions on sharing certain information under the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between India and France.
