- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
An Indian court sent an executive of spirits giant Pernod Ricard’s country unit and a director of local drug-maker Aurobindo Pharma Limited to custody for a week on Thursday in an investigation connected to the Delhi government’s liquor policy.
The decision came hours after P Sarath Chandra Reddy of Aurobindo Pharma and Pernod Ricard’s Benoy Babu were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), India’s elite financial crime-fighting agency.
Last month, the ED raided several liquor companies, suppliers, and distributors in a money-laundering probe, media reports said.
The investigating agency said in the court that Babu played a role in perpetuating a liquor scam and possessed the government’s excise policy documents much before they were unveiled, Reuters reported.
His lawyer countered saying that he did not share the document with anyone and had only received them through WhatsApp.
Babu is a general manager at Pernod Ricard and handles the French firm’s international brands business in India, as per his LinkedIn profile.
Spokespersons for Pernod Ricard and Aurobindo did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment immediately.
