Delhi Court Reserves Order On Bail Plea In Vivo Money Laundering Case

A court in Delhi on January 8 reserved its order on the bail application of Hari Om Rai, the managing director of Lava International, who was arrested in a money laundering case involving Chinese smartphone maker Vivo. Additional Sessions Judge Kiran Gupta has reserved the bail plea order for 12 January after hearing arguments from counsels representing both the accused and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari and advocate Nitesh Rana appeared in court on behalf of Rai, informing the court that Rai is suffering from various medical conditions, and keeping him in jail could have disastrous consequences for his health.

They added that while the medical facilities in jail are good, they are not sufficient to handle Rai's health issues. Therefore, it is crucial to consider his health and take the necessary steps.

The ED opposed the application, stating that if the accused were released on bail, they could potentially tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. Rana had previously informed the court that he had no affiliation with Vivo or any of its representatives since 2014, despite talks of launching a joint venture with Rai's company in India a decade ago.

During the legal proceedings, Rana stated that the accused did not have any kind of control, either direct or indirect, over Vivo's business. Rai, along with a few others, has been taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Vivo of transferring Rs 62,476 crore to China in an "illegal" manner, with the intention of evading taxes in India.