ED questions Vaibhav Gehlot for 8 hours, says ‘answered all questions’ (2nd Lead)

New Delhi : Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was questioned for over eight hours on Monday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in FEMA case. He said that he has given all the answers to agency.

Speaking to the media after the ED questioning, Vaibhav said, "They (ED) have not called me again tomorrow. They did a detailed interrogation, I have given my answers." Vaibhav was summoned by the ED in connection with a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case and was asked to appear before it on Friday. However, he skipped the ED summons asking for more time and also informed that he would be appearing before it on Monday.

The summons to Vaibhav were issued in connection with the agency’s action in August this year in connection with a FEMA case involving Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt. Ltd., Vardha Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. and its Directors, Promoters Shiv Shankar Sharma, Rattan Kant Sharma and others..

The ED had earlier in a statement in September this year said that it had carried out searches on August 29 to 31 at various locations in Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and Delhi in connection with the case.

It had also said that during the search operations, unaccounted cash of Rs 1.27 crore, various incriminating documents including digital evidences, hard disks, mobiles etc. were seized which reveal large scale transactions done by the group out of books of account. Unaccounted cash receipts have been invested in development of Hotels.

The ED had registered a case on the basis of credible information wherein Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt. Ltd. received FDI from Mauritius-based Shivnar Holdings Ltd at a huge premium which was revised several times violating FEMA provisions. It said that information further revealed that Triton Group has been involved in "Hawala transactions" having "cross border implications".

The sources said that Vaibhav question was necessitated after Rattan Kant Sharma's alleged links with him. Rattan Kant Sharma has been a business partner of Vaibhav in a car rental company in the past. On Thursday, the Chief Minister had shared the copy of the summon issued to his son by the ED asking him to appear before it in FEMA case.

The Chief Minister has also slammed the BJP government questioning the timing of the ED searches in Rajasthan on Thursday including the premises of state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasara and summons to his son. The polling for the 200 member assembly polls in Rajasthan is scheduled on November 25 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.