Ratul Puri may be involved in other UPA scams: Report

The name Ratul Puri has been associated with the AugustaWestland case for a while now. In addition to that, the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate has placed him under the scanner on charges of tax evasion and money laundering in other cases related to bank frauds.

But there could be more trouble brewing for the chairman of Hindustan Power projects Pvt (HPP) Ltd, and not just in the Rs 3,546-crore VVIP chopper scam or the existing bank cases. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's nephew could be implicated in several other dubious deals that were carried out during the UPA regime, according to a report in The Indian Express.

During one of its recent searches, the ED came across around 500 emails, a major bunch being conversations between Puri and the others involved in the AugustaWesland scam. But “some of the emails also show the participants discussing some other deals that were signed during the UPA regime”, a senior ED official told the newspaper.

“We are examining these deals and the context in which these conversations took place. If any irregularity is found, a reference would be sent to CBI to register appropriate case,” the official told the newspaper.

While Puri has denied any connection with the emails, ED official said that even though they were written under different names, there was enough evidence to pin the emails on Puri.

In 2014, India had scrapped a contract with Italian state-backed defence major Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland. The company was scheduled to supply 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force as per a deal signed in 2010. The deal was struck down over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to Indian authorities to the tune of Rs 423 crore.