After the first round of questioning of Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudy by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) concluded in the early hours of Tuesday, July 18, 2023 in connection with a money laundering case, the agency has summoned him and his son and DMK MP P. Gautham Sigamani again in the evening.
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Mr. Ponmudy is one of the senior most Ministers in the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. He is the second Minister who has come under the lens of the ED in recent times, the first one being V. Senthilbalaji.
On Monday night, Mr. Ponmudy and his son Mr. Gautham were taken for questioning by ED officers to their office in Nungambakkam and the duo’s statements were recorded.
This first session of questioning which began at 8.15 p.m. on Monday, July 17, lasted until 3 am of Tuesday. At the end of questioning, the Minister and his son left the ED office and the ED officials refused to respond to the questions of reporters who had gathered.
Sources added that the ED has summoned them for further questioning for the second consecutive day at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The present probe by the ED relates to a corruption case booked against the Minister by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in 2012 for allegedly abusing his position when he was the Minister for Mines and Mineral Resources between 2007 and 2011. He was charged of obtaining quarry licences in favour of his son, friends and relatives, during that period. The Minister’s son P. Gautham Sigamani is the second accused in the case.
The agency accused them of having blatantly violated the quarry licence conditions and thereby causing a loss of over ₹28 crore to the public exchequer by not paying the fee for the red sand excavated beyond the permissible limit, said sources. Mr. Gautham also is facing probe by the ED for acquiring foreign currencies without permission of RBI.
Since Monday morning, the officers of ED conducted searches at the residence of Mr. Ponmudy and his sons at Saidapet in Chennai and at Shanmugapuram in Villupuram district. The searches lasted until early hours of Tuesday.
During the searches, incriminating documents, cash, and jewellery from these premises were seized by the officers of ED, said sources. The counting of seized money is on and a fixed deposit of ₹41.9 crore was frozen and two luxury cars were seized from the house, sources added.
