Panama Papers Case: Aishwarya Rai Summoned By ED, Actress Reaches Delhi Office

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday (December 20) summoned actress Aishwarya Rai to record her statement in connection with its probe in the Panama Papers. Aishwarya reportedly reached the central agency's Delhi Office. She had earlier skipped two summons and sought time from the agency.

For the unversed, the Panama Papers case first made headlines in 2016 when investigations spanning millions of documents were stolen and leaked to the media. It revealed that offshore firms are used to stash the wealth of the world's rich and powerful.

Amitabh Bachchan's name had cropped in the Panama Papers case which is also being probed by the Income Tax Department. According to reports, the IT department had issued notices to the members of the Bachchan family asking them to explain their foreign remittances since 2004 under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the RBI.

Aishwarya Rai reportedly had submitted records on the foreign payments under investigation in 2017. Sources say the agency wants to record her statement now in Delhi, over allegations of stashing wealth abroad. The actor was first issued the summons on November 9 under Section 37 of FEMA.

The Panama Papers case leaked financial records of not only celebs from India but global politicians, industrialists and celebrities. The papers were reviewed and published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Over 300 Indians were said to be part of the Panama Papers.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was last seen in Fanney Khan in 2018. She will be returning to screen with Mani Ratnam's ambitious historical fiction drama Ponniyin Selvan. Rai is currently busy filming with Vikram, Karthi, Prakash Raj, Jayam Ravi, Trisha Krishnan, and Mohan Babu.