The Enforcement Directorate has issuedsummons to US-based businessman and social activist Neville Roy Singham in connection with the ongoing money laundering probe against online news portal NewsClick, sources said on Thursday.
The summons have been sent to the businessman after obtaining Letter Rogatory(LR) from a court in Delhi for recording Singham’s statement. LR is a formal written request by a court or judge to their counterparts in a foreign jurisdiction to summon a specified witness in the other country.
According to sources, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) routed the summons through the Ministry of External Affairs and sent it across the Chinese government, to be delivered to Singham via email.
The businessman is said to be based in Shanghai.
Singham’s name had surfaced in the FIR filed by the Delhi Police under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against NewsClick for allegedly forwarding Chinese propoganda, and the news portal receiving foreign funds illegally for the same purpose.
The FIR was registered after a report published by The New York Times claimed the portal received money from the American businessman to spread Chinese propaganda.
The FIR further alleged that the news portal got funding from the Worldwide Media Holdings which is registered in the US In violation of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) laws.
It is also claimed that Singham infused the funds to the portal and he is believed to have ties with the Chinese government’s media machine.
NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and its HR chief Amit Chakravarty were arrested on October 3 after searches were conducted at more than 30 locations.
A total of 46 suspects, including nine women, were questioned, while their phones, laptops and devices were seized for further examination.
Police had also sealed NewsClick’s office in Delhi.