Money Laundering Investigation: ED Raids Ex-DPIIT Secy Ramesh Abhishek’s Premises

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on Tuesday at the premises of retired IAS officer and former Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Ramesh Abhishek as part of an investigation into alleged disproportionate assets linked to money laundering, according to official sources.

The ED’s actions are related to a recent FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the 1982-batch officer.

CBI Raid

Abhishek, who retired from the DPIIT (formerly known as the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) in 2019, was previously raided by the CBI in February.

Allegations against the Ex-IAS Officer

The CBI alleged in its FIR that Abhishek enriched himself “illicitly” post-retirement by receiving “huge amounts” as consultation fees from private companies whose matters he had dealt with while in service. Both the CBI and ED have also registered a case against his daughter Vanessa.

Additionally, the retired officer formerly served as chairman of the Forward Markets Commission, and the CBI initiated the case against him based on a reference from the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal.

The Lokpal has further alleged that the father-daughter duo received substantial professional fees from various entities and organizations with whom the former IAS officer had official dealings as the secretary or chairman.

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