Chopper scam: ED files charge sheet against Ratul Puri in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate filed a supplementary charge sheet on Saturday before a Delhi court against Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, in a money laundering case related to the alleged AgustaWestland chopper scam.

The charge sheet was filed before special judge Arvind Kumar. The agency arrested Puri on September 4 and he is currently in judicial custody.

The money laundering case was lodged following alleged irregularities in the purchase of 12 VVIP choppers from Italy-based Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary, AgustaWestland.

Puri was earlier arrested in another case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for alleged bank fraud after he appeared before the central probe agency here in the chopper scam after it had slapped a fresh criminal case against him and others, taking notice of a CBI FIR.

The PMLA case emerged from a CBI FIR of August 17, in which Ratul Puri, his father Deepak Puri, mother Nita (Kamal Nath’s sister) and others were booked in connection with a Rs 354-crore bank fraud case filed by the Central Bank of India.