ED has filed a petition with the Delhi High Court challenging the order that led to the release of Vivo India officials in a money laundering case. The officials in question are Terry, the Chinese national and interim CEO of Vivo India, Harinder Dahiya, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and consultant Hemant Munjal. The court had ordered their release on December 30 after ruling that their custody was illegal due to a failure to produce them before the court within 24 hours of their arrest.
The ED had requested an interim order from the court, but the judge expressed that such a decision would have been more likely if the officials were still in custody. However, the judge did issue notices to the respondents, setting a hearing date for January 3.
The accused had argued that they were arrested on December 21, not December 22 as recorded by the ED, and since they were not presented in court within 24 hours, their arrest was illegal. The ED countered this claim, stating that the three were formally arrested on December 22 after being questioned and having their phones analyzed at the ED office.
The ED’s case against Vivo India involves allegations of a major money laundering operation conducted by Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies. The agency claims that Rs 62,476 crore was illegally transferred to China by Vivo India to evade taxes in India. The raid on Vivo India’s offices and associated premises took place in July of last year.
The Delhi High Court’s decision to release the Vivo India officials has now been challenged by the ED through their petition. The court will further examine the case and the respondents’ release in the upcoming hearing on January 3.
