AIADMK deputy general secretary T T V Dinakaran today appeared before a court here to stand trial for allegedly violating foreign exchange laws in 1994.
Dinakaran appeared before the Economic Offences Court-II -cum-the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S Malarmathy after the Madras High Court on February 1 this year set aside a lower court order discharging Dinakaran and his aunt, AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala.
The lower court order favouring the duo was quashed by the high court on a review petition of the Enforcement Directorate which had originally filed the case against them over certain financial transactions in 1994.
Justice G Chockalingam of the high court had set aside the lower court's order and remitted the case back to the Economic Offences Court for trial.
Accordingly, Dinakaran, who is running poll as the AIADMK nominee in the April 12 byelection to R K Nagar assembly seat, appeared before the trail court which recorded his presence and adjourned the matter toMarch 22 for trial proceedings.
Sasikala is serving her prison term in the Bengaluru Central jail in a disproportionate assets case.
The ED had filed six cases against Sasikala and Dinakaran in the Economic Offences Court-I which had discharged the duo in two cases in 2015 and directed them to face the trial in other cases.
The ED has contended that a complaint was filed against Dinakaran for alleged "contravention" of FERA to the tune of US dollars 1.04 crore for "acquiring, transferring and making payment" to the credit of one M/s Dipper Investments Ltd, a company registered in British Virgin Island.
It said Dinakaran had allegedly acquired the money from persons other than authorised dealers in foreign exchange and deposited it in the bank account of Dipper Investments Ltd, a company incorporated outside India, without previous "general or special permission from the Reserve bank of India," thereby allegedly contravening the provisions of FERA.
As regards Sasikala, the ED has said foreign currencies received from abroad and non-repatriable had been remitted into the NRNR account of her friend Susila.
The amount was allegedly re-routed to Sasikala through 25 cheques by another person.
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