The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday summoned Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former Finance Minister P Chidamabram, in connection with the money laundering probe in the Saradha chit fund scam case.
Nalini has been asked to appear before the Investigating Officer of the case early next month in Kolkata, where her statement is expected to be recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA), officials said.
The matter under probe relates to payments received by Nalini from Saradha Group, embroiled in the chit fund scam case being investigated by the CBI.
Nalini, a Supreme Court lawyer, allegedly received `1.26 crore from Saradha Group boss Sudipto Sen, sources said, and the ED is seeking to unravel the exact flow of funds to her from Saradha company accounts and confirm if there was any contract between the two parties, official sources said.
She had earlier been questioned by the ED and CBI in this connection but she has been summoned in the light of new evidence that emerged during the ongoing probe, sources said.
Saradha Chairman Sudipta Sen, at present in jail, had mentioned about hiring Nalini as a lawyer at the request of Manoranjana Sinh, estranged wife of Congress leader Matang Sinh.
Nalini represented Manoranjana and, therefore, was asked to offer her professional advice in her negotiations with Sen in connection with plans by the group to acquire a TV channel in the Northeast.
The lawyer allegedly advised her client against the `42-crore investment by the group to acquire the TV channel.
ED has filed a charge sheet in this case in a special PMlA court in Kolkata earlier this year and the agency is likely to file supplementary reports if new evidences gathered are substantiated during the probe.