ED to file prosecution plea in Formula E case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Hyderabad will file its own prosecution plea in the Formula E investigation, independent of the approval recently granted by Telangana Governor, Jishnu Dev Varma, to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to prosecute former Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister K.T. Rama Rao in the Formula E race case.

An officer from the ED confirmed that the agency will examine the ACB chargesheet once it is completed and move for prosecution approval under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act at a time it considers appropriate. The ED’s stance means the Governor’s approval to the ACB does not alter or accelerate the money-laundering probe, which follows a separate legal route.

The probe by the ED follows the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on December 19, 2024. The FIR was based on a complaint by the then Principal Secretary of MA&UD, M. Dana Kishore, alleging irregularities in payments exceeding ₹54.88 crore for Formula-E race case held in Hyderabad in February 2023.