The Enforcement Directorate has launched a probe under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) against Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa’s son Abir and a firm linked to him for alleged violation of foreign exchange regulations.
The agency has filed a case under FEMA to probe Abir Lavasa and a fund to the tune of Rs 7.25 crore raised early this year by the firm Nourish Organic Foods Pvt Ltd, linked to him.
Through the probe, the agency is seeking to ascertain if the FEMA law was violated in bringing the funds from a Mauritius-based company identified as Saama Capital, officials said.
Abir Lavasa is said to be the Director of Nourish Organic Foods Pvt. Ltd.
The fund infusion into the company is under probe and the agency recently questioned Abir about these transactions.
While Abir has been cooperative with the probe so far, the agency has also summoned other persons connected to the case for further probe into the issue.
The trouble for Ashok Lavasa’s family began a few months back when his wife, Novel Singhal Lavasa, came under the ambit of the Income Tax Department probe on charges of alleged tax evasion.
The IT Department had reportedly issued a notice asking her to explain
certain details in her I-T Returns (ITR) with regard to holding directorship in about 10 companies.
After preliminary investigation, the I-T department asked her to provide more documents related to her personal finances to ascertain if her income has escaped assessment in the past or something has been concealed from tax authorities.
Novel Singhal Lavasa’s ITRs are under scrutiny for alleged tax evasion and holding of directorship in multiple firms assessment period of 2015-17. Some other family members of Lavasa are also under the scanner of the IT Department.
Ashok Lavasa was appointed as Election Commissioner on January 23, 2018, after his superannuation from service as Union Finance Secretary in the previous year.