I Have Done Nothing Illegal, Let BJP Enjoy Giving Me Trouble: DK Shivakumar On ED Summons

A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a fresh summon to DK Shivakumar, the Congress leader on Friday reiterated that he has done nothing illegal and the BJP members could enjoy harassing and giving him trouble. In what spells trouble for the former Karnataka minister, the law enforcement agency on Thursday asked him to appear before it at 10:30 am today. The development comes hours after the Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition filed by Shivakumar, seeking to quash ED's previous summons, issued in December 2018 in connection with a money laundering case.

"There is no illegal activities that I have done. BJP leaders have said it on record, they are going to harass me. Let them enjoy giving me trouble," Shivakumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The Congress leader, however, has promised to cooperate with the ED, adding that he is busy till this afternoon and will go to Delhi afterwards.

DK Shivakumar, Congress on being summoned by ED: There’s no illegal activities that I've done. BJP leaders have said it on record, they're going to harass me. Let them enjoy giving me trouble. But I'll participate&cooperate. I am busy till this afternoon, then I will go to Delhi. https://t.co/4Ad4atOpzA pic.twitter.com/mi8h2pJTHc

— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2019

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Elaborating about the case, he was summoned in, he further said, " I have requested the Court that it is a simple Income Tax matter. I have already filed ITR. There is no Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act. Last night, they summoned me to come to Delhi. I will respect law".

"From the past two years, entire property of my 84-year-old mother has been attached by various investigation authorities as benami property. Our entire blood has already been sucked," Shivakumar, the water resources minister in the previous Congress-JDS government, went on to claim further.

The ED had in September, 2018 registered a money-laundering case against Shivakumar and few others on the basis of an alleged tax evasion and hawala transactions case.

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The agency had booked Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The case has been filed based on a charge sheet (prosecution complaint) filed by the Income Tax Department against him early last year before a special court in Bengaluru on charges of alleged tax evasion and hawala transactions worth crores.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Shivakumar is summoned by ED in a money laundering case.
• The case was filed based on a charge sheet filed by IT department.
• Shivakumar said he will go to Delhi later this afternoon.