Money laundering case: Delhi court summons foreign, Indian officials of VIVO

New Delhi: A Delhi court has summoned Chinese multinational technology company VIVO Mobile Communication CEO, CFO, and VIVO Mobile India CEO in a Rs 20,241 crore money laundering case.

Additional Sessions Judge Kiran Gupta summoned VIVO Mobile Communication CEO Shen Wei, CFO Chen Yu Fen, and VIVO Mobile India CEO Zhiyong Chen on May 13 while taking cognisance of a supplementary chargesheet filed against them.

"There is sufficient material available on record and grounds exist for proceeding further in the matter qua the accused persons as named in the supplementary prosecution complaint," the judge said.

The judge said prima facie Shen Wei being VIVO Mobile Communication's CEO, Chen Yu Fen being its CFO, and Zhivong Chen being CEO of VIVO Mobile India Pvt. Ltd., played pivotal role in creating the mesh of companies, arranging or managing funds and siphoning off proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 20,241 crore outside India.

"Accordingly accused persons namely Shen Wei, Chen Yu Fen and Zhiyong Chen as per the supplementary prosecution complaint be summoned to appear and face trial before this court for the offence under section 3 (money laundering)... of PMLA, alongwith other accused persons for August 18, 2025," the judge said.

Since, these accused persons are foreign nationals, let they be summoned through Ministry of Home Affairs as per rules and regulations in prescribed proforma, the judge said.

ED's supplementary prosecution complaint, agency's equivalent to a chargesheet, alleged that during investigation it was revealed that these accused persons were also involved in the present offence, urging the court to summon them in the case.

The ED chargesheet claimed that accused Shen Wei came to India in 2013 for incorporating VIVO India at the behest of VIVO China which was the ultimate controller and beneficial owner of VIVO India.

Accused Chen Yu Fen played pivotal role in incorporation of VIVO India as she was involved in arranging or managing the funds required for incorporation of VIVO group companies in India with intent to cheat the Indian government authorities and to circumvent various laws to cause undue gain to VIVO China, it said.

The ED added that accused Zhiyong Chen was appointed as Director of VIVO Mobile India on June 3, 2015 and is still the Director of the company.

He was well aware of the structure and beneficial ownership of VIVO China over VIVO India and has actively assisted both VIVO China and VIVO India in concealing the same, it said.

"All these three accused persons set up a complex corporate structure in a fraudulent manner which was used for the purpose of generating huge revenue and remitting the same outside India to their own related entities under the garb of import of goods. The multiple business entities were controlled by single entity i.e. VIVO China. In this manner, they siphoned off proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 20,241 crore outside India," the ED chargesheet said.

These accused persons actively assisted VIVO India and VIVO China in the process and activities connected with the acquisition, possession, transfer and projection of proceeds of crime as untainted property, it said.

The judge noted the cognisance of the offence in the present matter was taken on December 20, 2023.

The court had previously summoned 53 accused persons in the case.

The ED arrested several VIVO-India executives and mobile company Lava International's then MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, and chartered accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik in the case.