Amazon's plea against ED probe into 2019 Future deal to be heard by Delhi HC tomorrow

E-commerce giant Amazon's plea against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking to quash a probe into one of its 2019 deals with the Future Group, will be heard before the Delhi High Court tomorrow (Thursday), BusinessToday.In has learnt. The HC bench of Rekha Palli will hear the plea.

Earlier today, Reuters reported that the US-based e-commerce company is taking the ED to court over its investigation in the 2019 deal, a move that brings a fresh twist to the long-running corporate battle. Amazon seeks to understand jurisprudence of the ED investigation.

ED has been probing, for months, Amazon's $200 million investment in Future Group for suspected violations of foreign investment laws.

In an 816-page filing, seen by Reuters, Amazon called the investigation a "fishing and roving" inquiry, saying the ED had sought privileged legal advice and opinions from Amazon and other information not connected to the Future Group deal.

Multiple Amazon executives, including its India head, had been summoned by the ED in the recent weeks and the investigation had caused "unnecessary harassment," it mentioned in its filing to the Delhi HC on Tuesday.

The ongoing dispute circles around three commercial agreements signed between Future and Amazon entities. Earlier, Singapore arbitration panel, which is hearing the case, had stressed that the three agreements at the heart of the Future-Amazon dispute must be read together, and not separately.

With inputs from Reuters