Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday in connection with the Panama Papers leak case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for questioning in a case linked to the 2016 'Panama Papers' global tax leaks case, officials said on Monday. Bachchan reached ED's Jamnagar House office in the national capital and was probed almost six hours, before she left in the evening.
Rai's statement in Delhi was recorded by the investigation agency. She is reportedly accused of stashing money abroad in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
As per reports in India Today, the ED posed to Rai on the following questions:
Amic Partners was a company incorporated and registered in the British Virgin Islands in 2005. What association do you have with this company?
Do you know the law firm where Mossack Fonseca registered the company?
This company's directors include you, your father Kotedadiramana Rai Krishna Rai, your mother Kavita Rai, and your brother Aditya Rai. What can you say about this?
The initial paid-up capital is $50,000. Each share was worth $1, and each director had 12,500 shares. Why did you become a shareholder from your position as a director?
Why was your status changed to shareholder in June 2005?
Why did the company become inactive in 2008?
Was permission from the RBI sought for financial transactions?
The ED has been probing the case since 2016 when the global leaks came to light. It later issued notices to the Bachchan family asking them to explain their foreign remittances since 2004 under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the RBI.
Rai was snapped heading out of the ED's office after the interrogation on Monday evening.
The Panama Papers are a set of leaked documents that reveal widespread fraud and tax evasion by individuals and corporate entities around the world. Rai's name was among 500 Indians named in a massive leak of 11.5 million tax documents revealing their secret offshore dealings.
The "Panama Papers" case is a sprawling investigation involving allegations that the world's rich and powerful set up offshore accounts or shell companies to avoid taxes.