The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to Niranjan Hiranandani and his son Darshan Hiranandani, who are renowned as the promoters of the Hiranandani Group, a leading real estate developer headquartered in Mumbai. These summonses pertain to their involvement in a foreign exchange violation case, with the scheduled questioning set to take place on February 26, as revealed by official sources on Sunday.
The Hiranandanis have been directed to appear before the ED's office in Mumbai, although they retain the option to furnish their initial responses through an officially designated representative, according to the sources.
Notably, Darshan Hiranandani has been residing in Dubai for an extended period. Last week, the ED conducted searches at approximately four locations associated with the Hiranandani Group in and around Mumbai, exercising provisions under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
In addition to scrutinizing various foreign transactions, the agency's focus extends to investigating the beneficiaries affiliated with a trust situated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), purportedly linked to the promoters of the Hiranandani Group. The group has unequivocally expressed its intention to extend full cooperation to the ED throughout the duration of this FEMA-related inquiry.
It's imperative to note that the ongoing ED investigation remains distinct from another FEMA inquiry targeting Mahua Moitra, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader who was dismissed as a Lok Sabha MP in December last year. Allegations surfaced from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, implicating Moitra of leveraging her parliamentary position to launch targeted queries against the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the instigation of Darshan Hiranandani, purportedly in exchange for gratuities.
Dubey further alleged that Moitra compromised national security for personal gain. However, Moitra vehemently refuted these allegations, asserting her innocence and attributing the accusations to her vocal criticism regarding deals involving the Adani Group.
