MS Dhoni to be questioned by IT department regarding Rs 75 cr cheques by Amrapali group

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni seems to be getting no respite at all from off-field controversies after the Ranchi unit of the Income Tax Department is now believed to be investigating tax implications of four post-dated cheques worth Rs 75 crore issued to Dhoni by Amrapali Group Chairman Anil Sharma.

Dhoni, a brand ambassador of Amrapali, was issued the cheques in 2011-12 with a provision for them to be encashed in 2014. Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Singh Rawat is a 25 per cent stake holder in Amrapali Mahi Developers Private Ltd, a joint venture between the firm and the Indian captain.

There were contrasting responses from Dhoni’s spokesperson and the Amrapali group about the cheques.

While Dhoni’s spokesperson claimed that the cheques were “a security” on the investment made by him in Amrapali Mahi Developers, the Amrapali group said the money was given as an “assurance and commitment” for a cricket academy in Ranchi to be built by Amrapali Mahi Developers. The Amrapali group also confirmed that the captain had returned the cheques since the project failed to come to fruition.

“The cheques were given to MS Dhoni, who is our brand ambassador, for a cricket academy in Ranchi as an assurance and our commitment to the project. He has returned the cheques since the project did not take off,” the company spokesperson told The Indian Express.

The company however did not clarify why the cheques were issued in Dhoni’s name and not to Amrapali Mahi Developers.

Dhoni’s spokesperson Arun Pandey told The Indian Express in a text message: “I am not aware of the financial matters of M S Dhoni but, to the best of my knowledge, Anil Sharma has given cheques to M S Dhoni as security of the investment made by M S Dhoni in Amrapali.”

The Income-Tax department is believed to have asked for details of the cheques after media speculation and an IT raid in August 2013 on the Amrapali offices in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Amrapali officials have confirmed that the case has been handed over to the Ranchi IT department where Dhoni is an assessee. dhoni is likely to be questioned soon after he returns from Bangladesh.

Dhoni, when contacted about the issue during the ongoing ICC World T20, refused to comment on the matter.

Originally Source : sportskeeda.com click here