Will not arrest Himachal CM's wife now, ED tells Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday told the Delhi High Court that it will not arrest Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh`s wife Pratibha Singh when she joins the ongoing probe in a money laundering case.

Justice Vipin Sanghi was told by the ED that Pratibha Singh will be questioned on August 9.

After recording her statement, if the ED is satisfied that a case is made out against her the court will be informed before arresting her, the central agency said.

The court had issued a notice to the ED and sought its reply on Pratibha Singh`s application seeking protection from arrest till the next date of hearing on August 24.

Pratibha Singh filed the plea for restraint orders against the agency in the wake of the arrest of Life Insurance Corporation agent Anand Chauhan, a co-accused in the money laundering case.

The ED arrested Chauhan from Chandigarh on July 9 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). His was the first arrest in the case, in which the Himachal Chief Minister is an accused.

Both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation have accused Chauhan of investing Virbhadra Singh`s "tainted" money of Rs 5 crore in LIC policies in Virbhadra Singh`s name and those of his family members, including wife Pratibha Singh.

The ED reportedly found that Virbhadra Singh had accumulated assets worth Rs 6.03 crore in his name and in the names of his family members, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income, during his tenure as the Union Steel Minister from 2009 to 2011.