BENGALURU: A special court in Bengaluru hearing the Antrix-Devas case has summoned 10 accused, including former officials of ISRO, to appear before it on March 14, finding them prima facie involved in money laundering as per the chargesheet filed by the Directorate of Enforcement, Bengaluru Zone. 

The accused were allegedly involved in creating and establishing fictitious company,  DMPL, and entered into an MoU with Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL). They later secured the delivery of S-Band and allegedly laundered `579.07 crore by diverting the funds to various companies like Columbia Capital Devas Mauritius Limited.

According to the order of Rajashekar Venkanagouda Patil, the XXI aditional city civil and sessions  judge and principal judge for CBI Cases, Bengaluru City, the 10 accused are —  Devas Multimedia Pvt Ltd (DMPL), Ramachandran Vishwanathan, representing Devas Multimedia America Inc, claimed to be existing in USA, M G Chandrashekar, Desaraju Venugopal, former officials of ISRO, Nataraj Dakshinamurthy, Ranganathan Mohan, ex-directors of DMPL, Devas Multimedia America Inc, DCT Telecommunications Private Limited, DCT Networks Pvt Ltd and Kuppam Ramaiyer Sridhara Murthi, then Managing Director of ACL, one of the commercial wings of ISRO.  

The DMPL, Chandrashekar and Desaraju Venugopal, ex-employees of ISRO, have been charge-sheeted under Section 120 B and other related offences of cheating etc. whereas summons were issued against all 10 accused for the offences punishable under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.