ED Raids Premises Of Ex-DPIIT Secretary Ramesh Abhishek As Part Of A Money Laundering Probe

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of retired IAS officer and former Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Ramesh Abhishek as part of a disproportionate assets linked money laundering probe against him, official sources said.

The ED case stems from a recent FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the 1982-batch officer. He was raided by the CBI in February. Abhishek retired in 2019 from the DPIIT (erstwhile Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) under the commerce and industry ministry.

The ED is searching the premises of Abhishek in Greater Kailash area of the national capital and some other locations as part of a money laundering investigation, the sources said.

The CBI had alleged in its FIR that Abhishek enriched himself "illicitly" after retirement by receiving "huge amounts" as consultation fee from private companies whose matters he had dealt while in service. The CBI and ED have also booked his daughter Vanessa as part of the probe.

The retired officer also held the post of chairman, Forward Markets Commission, and the CBI case was booked against him on a reference from anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. The Lokpal has alleged that the father-daughter duo received big amounts as professional fee from various entities and organisations with whom the former IAS officer had official dealings as the secretary or the chairman.

It was alleged that the amounts received by Abhishek and his daughter were invested in a house in the upscale Greater Kailash-2 area in New Delhi. The anti-corruption ombudsman had alleged that Abhishek invested the funds in the property which were outcome of "doubtful sudden rise" in earlier investments of the family in immovable properties or "sudden" increase in business income in short period.