Under ED lens, media baron Raghav Bahl refutes alleged financial misconduct

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Admitting his correspondence with the investigating authorities, media personality Raghav Bahl has vehemently refuted claims of any financial misconduct.

In a press statement, Bahl claimed that he had made all disclosures in his income tax returns (ITRs) about his investment and transactions.

In response to reports about Enforcement Directorate probing him, Bahl said the only proceedings he was aware of relate to a show-cause notice dated May 1, 2019 which was duly replied to on May 2, 2019.

"Further clarifications along with relevant documents were sent by way of email to the authority on the same day. The said show-cause notice seeks information with regard to a property outside India and the source of funds for an investment made in that property," Bahl said.

He said that all the funds invested in the property were from income on which taxes had been duly paid. The same was duly disclosed in the Foreign Asset Schedule of the Income Tax Returns of Raghav Bahl and his wife and children.

"The entire funds invested in that property have been remitted through the banking channel under the scheme approved by the Reserve Bank of India and all taxes have been duly paid," the media baron said in his personal capacity.

The Income Tax department (I-T) had last year raided Raghav Bahl's residence and office in an alleged case of tax evasion.

Following this, Bahl had issued an official statement, saying he was astonished to see that a blatant attempt had been made by the "government's spin-masters" to say that the action was part of a year-long investigation into some long-term capital gains scam, whereby Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur had made "bogus" income of Rs 118 crore.