The ED also charged him with purchasing properties without the permission of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Acquisition or transfer of properties by citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal and Bhutan without the permission of RBI is prohibited under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), ED said.

“Adnan has not made any false statements as alleged in the notice issued by ED. We are in the process of drafting a reply to ED,” the singer’s lawyer, Vibhav Krishna, said.

The ED contended Adnan had purchased eight flats in a posh area in suburban Andheri for Rs 2.53 crore and had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 crore from Axis bank for the purchase.

“However, Adnan misled the ED investigations by giving a wrong statement on January 20 that he had neither applied to RBI for permission nor obtained its approval for purchasing properties in India,” ED alleged in the notice.