The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed its response on a plea by businessman Satish Sana Babu seeking revoking of the ED’s action against him.

Filing its response before the Delhi High Court, the investigating agency said Sana was “unable to give explanation for a sum of Rs 1.5 crore made to the main accused (Moin Qureshi) as a bonafide business expense and thus custodial interrogation was required.”

“The Petitioner was arrested in accordance to the mandate of Section 19 and by no stretch of imagination have the actions been violative of the mandate of the Constitution,” the ED said in its reply.

ED rubbished the claims of Sana that he has been issued summons even after no new facts have emerged in the case. “…assuming that no new facts have emerged, even then, to further an investigation, there is no bar on summoning a person to clarify and verify the existing facts. It is submitted that the petitioner has said that he has been summoned twice without any new fact emerging. However, it is wrong to say so, as investigations in respect of financial transactions that took place between the petitioner and Moin Qureshi are still underway.”

Sana had filed the plea seeking quashing of money laundering case against him and meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

The Hyderabad-based businessman had also sought quashing of summons issued by the ED under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 18 and 25, alleging them to be against the law and violative of the stipulation of Indian Evidence Act and the Constitution.

—India Legal Bureau