New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday dismissed as “baseless” allegations that the statements of executives of Xiaomi India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese mobile manufacturing company Xiaomi, were recorded under “coercion”, it said. Turns out the allegations were a later one. The federal agency was responding to some news reports that said Xiaomi, in a recent filing before the Karnataka High Court, alleged that its top executives were subjected to “physical violence and coercion” during interrogation by ED investigators in Bengaluru. “Threats were made.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a statement saying that it was “a professional agency with strong work ethic and there was no coercion or threat at any point of time to the officers of the company”. “The allegation that the statement of Xiaomi India officials was forcibly taken by the ED is untrue and baseless.” “Xiaomi India officials voluntarily gave their statements before the ED under FEMA in the most favorable environment on various occasions,” the agency said.
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It said that the statements made by them on the basis of documents and information provided by the company during the course of investigation. “His statements are corroborated by the written reply submitted to the ED and material on record,” the agency said.
The development comes in the backdrop of the ED passing an order on April 29 to confiscate Xiaomi India’s money worth over Rs 5,551 crore over alleged violation of the Indian Foreign Exchange Act (Foreign Exchange Management Act). The Karnataka High Court had earlier this week stayed the ED order.
The statement of Xiaomi’s Global Vice President Manu Kumar Jain was recorded on four occasions, April 13, April 14, April 21 and April 26, while the statement of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sameer BS Rao was recorded on six occasions, the agency said. . Rao’s statements were recorded on March 25, April 14, April 19, April 21, April 22 and April 26.
“However, no complaint was filed by him at any point of time during the recording of statements on various occasions.” “The final statement of the officers of the company was recorded on 26.04.2022 and the confiscation order was passed on 29.04.2022. It appears that the allegation made now after a lapse of sufficient time is a consideration,” it said.
The agency said that Xiaomi’s allegations are “baseless and far from facts.” Xiaomi is a trader and distributor of mobile phones in the country under the brand name of MI.
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