Former IPl boss lalit Modi’s lawyer, Mumbai-based advocate Mehmood M Abdi, has returned the summons issued to lalit Modi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking his (lalit Modi’s) presence before it in three weeks, maintaining that he (Abdi) was not authorised to receive the summons.
While the ED claimed the lawyer refused to accept the summons, Mehmood M Abdi denied having received the summons. “I have not received any such summons,” Abdi said, terming related media reports as “baseless and misleading.”
“ED has Mr Modi’s address in the UK. They are required to serve him as per the procedure prescribed in law,” Abdi said, disputing the Central agency’s claim.
“Reports prominently appearing in a section (of) media that summons issued by ED under the PMlA to former IPl Commissioner lalit Kumar Modi has been served on me are baseless and misleading,” Abdi said in a statement.
The ED had on Friday issued summons to lalit Modi through his lawyer in a money-laundering case registered against him in Mumbai.
“It has been returned by his lawyer who said he was not authorised by lalit Modi to receive it,” said an agency official, adding the agency may now move court seeking issuance of non-bailable arrest warrant against the former IPl boss.
The case relates to a 2008 deal between World Sports Group (WSG) and Multi Screen Media (MSM) for television rights of Indian Premier league (IPl) worth Rs 425 crore.