ED registers money laundering case against Abhishek Verma

Enforcement Directorate has registered a fresh money laundering case against arms dealer
Abhishek Verma in its probe against him for allegedly receiving money from a Swiss
defence firm to keep it out of the government's blacklist.

Verma has already been arrested by the CBI in this case.

New Delhi: Navy War Room leak case suspect and controversial alleged arms dealer Abhishek
Verma has made startling revelations about his close links with a Congress leader during his
interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED ) officials in Tihar jail.

Reports published in a leading daily DNA claims that Verma has told the ED officials, who
grilled him on July 20, that a senior Congress Working Committee member is his close business
associate.

Verma was quizzed by the ED officials after a case was registered against him under the
Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on June 18 for allegedly receiving $5.3 lakh from
a Swiss defence firm for using his influence to keep it out of the governments blacklist.
The DNA report also claimed that some confidential documents provided by Verma's former
business partner US Attorney C Edmonds Allen have revealed that the money was paid to the
arms dealer by Rheinmetall Air Defence AG through its UBS account in Switzerland.

This transaction was shown in bank statements of Vermas Ganton Ltd and an invoice generated
by the company.

Verma further informed the ED officials that money received from the Swis firm was meant for
purchasing 100 acre land in Greater Noida, which belongs to the Yamuma Express Industrial
Development Authority.

What has come as a shock that this land deal was brokered by a senior Congress leader.

The Congress leader in question is a former cabinet minister and also one of the arbitrators in
this land dispute involving Vermas Ganton and another company.

The alleged land dispute case is being contested in the Allahabad High Court.

If the DNA report is to be believed then a top ED official has also confirmed, on the condition of
anonymity, Vermas link with the senior Congress leader with whom he shared close business
interests.

Meanwhile, sources in the CBI have also confirmed Vermas alleged links with the same
Congress leader whose name he revealed during his questioning.

In light of the recent developments, a communication has also been sent to the Congress leader,
whose identity has not been revealed, to respond to Vermas allegations.
The ED has registered the fresh complaint, under provisions of the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA), based on the contents of the FIR lodged by the CBI.

According to sources, the ED will also question Verma after it had obtained a local court's
permission in this regard recently.

The agency has begun probe on the basis of the CBI complaint against Verma where he has
been accused of taking USD 5,30,000 from Swiss firm Rheinmetall Air Defence AG (RAD)
for using his influence to stall the blacklisting proceedings initiated by the government
against it after the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) scam had surfaced.

Verma is already being probed by Enforcement Directorate in the Naval war room leak
case for alleged irregularities of foreign exchange laws.

The agency is also working on the recent complaint filed by Verma in a court alleging that
his US-based business partner C Edmonds Allen, an American attorney, and Delhi-based
Arjun Arora had duped him of Rs. 55 crore, which was to be paid to him in lieu of his
consultancy service provided to them.

The ED headquarters, according to sources, are in touch with Allen in this case.

Verma and his wife Ancia Neascu, arrested by CBI on June 8, are at present in judicial
custody.