Extradition process against 4 Sterling Biotech promoters initiated: ED tells court

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate Monday informed a Delhi court that it has initiated extradition process against four Sterling Biotech promoters in the Rs 8,100 crore bank fraud case.

The agency made the submissions before Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora and sought the court's certification of the process against Sterling Biotech Ltd (SBL) promoters Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Chetankumar Jayantilal Sandesara, Dipti Chetan Sandesara and Hiteshkumar Narendrabhai Patel.

The ED told the court that the four accused are reported to be in Italy and Nigeria and their extradition is required for probing the case.

The agency has registered the alleged bank fraud case against the firm SBL under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The court had earlier this month issued open-ended non-bailable warrants against the four promoters of the Gujarat pharma firm in the case.

The accused are being probed by the agency also for allegedly bribing senior income tax department officials as part of an earlier criminal complaint.

The ED had on December 24, 2018, informed the court that it wanted to approach the Interpol for the issuance of Red Corner Notice (RCN) against the SBL's directors.

The agency's special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana had told the court that the Interpol guidelines for opening RCN against the four accused persons required open-ended NBWs from the court.

An "open-ended NBW" does not carry a time limit for execution, unlike non-bailable warrants.

The ED had earlier told the court that the accused persons have left the country under suspicious circumstances and evaded the process of law to face criminal prosecution and that they were "shifting countries to escape the clutches of the law".

The court had earlier issued NBW against all the four accused which could not be executed because of the "unavailability of the aforesaid concerned persons".

The agency has also attached a number of properties belonging to the accused and a charge sheet was filed against them and others.

The ED had told the court that it was suspected that the accused were in Nigeria, the United States or the United Arab Emirates because they have extensive business interests in these countries.