Notice to BCCI, Modi in IPL investigation

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India's finance ministry has issued a showcause notice to the BCCI and Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL commissioner, as part of its investigation of alleged financial irregularities in the Twenty20 tournament. The case in question involves the alleged illegal transfer of Rs 90 crore ($20 million) to the UK.

This is the first showcause notice by the agency in the case after it began investigations in 2010 of various contraventions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). On Thursday, news emerged that Ravi Shastri had been served a summons by the ED in his capacity as a member of the IPL's Governing Council.

The BCCI's chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty, said it was a routine enquiry by the ED. "These kinds of notices keep coming and we furnish all details," he was quoted by PTI as saying. "Agencies like the ED and the I-T department have been asking questions and we answer everything. This has been happening for over a year now."

PTI reported that the ED had asked both BCCI and Modi to reply to questions the agency found unanswered during its probe into the alleged transfer of funds to domestic and offshore locations. The notice, it said, could be replied to either in person or by an authorised representative of the BCCI and Modi along with documentary proof.