Chennai, Nov 3:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh round of summons to former Tamil Nadu health minister C. Vijayabaskar and his wife, V. Ramya, directing them to appear for questioning in connection with an ongoing money laundering probe stemming from an alleged Rs 35.79-crore disproportionate assets case.
According to agency sources, one of them has been asked to depose before investigating officers at the ED’s Chennai zonal office on Friday, while the other has been summoned for interrogation scheduled for early next week. The summonses form part of a second round of questioning initiated by the federal anti-money laundering agency to examine specific financial transactions and asset ownership trails.
The money laundering investigation originated from a predicate offence registered by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in 2021, which probed assets allegedly amassed by Vijayabaskar during his tenure as the state’s health and family welfare minister between 2016 and 2021.
The DVAC subsequently filed a formal charge sheet in May 2023, quantifying the alleged disproportionate wealth accumulated beyond known and legitimate sources of income at Rs 35.79 crore.
Based on the DVAC proceedings, the ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and conducted search operations at Vijayabaskar’s residential premises in Illuppur, Pudukkottai district, in March 2024.
Investigators, who had previously recorded the statements of both Vijayabaskar and his wife during the initial questioning rounds, are now seeking further clarifications regarding detailed financial records, investment ledgers, and property transactions.