Meta, Google Skip ED Summons; Recalled July 28

New Delhi

Executives from Meta and Google did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in connection with a money laundering case related to the promotion of illegal online betting and gambling platforms, sources said. They reportedly requested more time to gather documents, following which the ED issued fresh summons for July 28.

The ED is investigating how such platforms placed ads on digital platforms, including social media and app stores. The officials are expected to record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Several celebrities and sportspersons are also under ED’s scanner in related cases and may be summoned soon.

The agency stated that these illegal platforms have been defrauding people and laundering large sums of money while evading taxes. The ED is currently probing over a dozen major cases nationwide, including the Mahadev Online Book app case, linked to promoters from Chhattisgarh.