Delhi court summons foreign, Indian officials of Vivo in Rs 20,241 crore money laundering case

A Delhi court has summoned the top leadership of Chinese tech giant Vivo, including CEO Shen Wei, CFO Chen Yu Fen, and Vivo Mobile India CEO Zhiyong Chen, to appear in connection with a Rs 20,241 crore money laundering case. The move follows a supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and marks a significant escalation in the ongoing probe against the smartphone major.

Additional Sessions Judge Kiran Gupta, while taking cognisance of the new charges, found “sufficient material available on record” to proceed against the accused. “There is sufficient material available on record and grounds exist for proceeding further in the matter qua the accused persons as named in the supplementary prosecution complaint,” the court noted.

The court concluded that Shen Wei, as CEO of Vivo Mobile Communication, along with Chen Yu Fen and Zhiyong Chen, played pivotal roles in the creation of an elaborate network of companies. The trio is accused of arranging and managing funds, as well as siphoning off proceeds of crime amounting to over Rs 20,000 crore outside India.

Judge Gupta ordered all three foreign nationals to be summoned through the Ministry of Home Affairs in accordance with official protocols, requiring their appearance on August 18, 2025, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to the ED, Shen Wei was instrumental in establishing Vivo India in 2013 on behalf of the Chinese parent company, which retains ultimate control and beneficial ownership. The chargesheet alleges that Chen Yu Fen was deeply involved in financial arrangements for the incorporation of Vivo group companies in India, allegedly with the intent to deceive Indian authorities and secure unlawful gains for Vivo China.

Zhiyong Chen, who has served as Director of Vivo Mobile India since 2015, is accused of actively assisting in efforts to obscure the real ownership structure and facilitating the transfer of illicit funds abroad under the guise of legitimate business transactions.

“All these three accused persons set up a complex corporate structure in a fraudulent manner which was used for the purpose of generating huge revenue and remitting the same outside India to their own related entities under the garb of import of goods,” the chargesheet said. “The multiple business entities were controlled by a single entity, i.e. Vivo China. In this manner, they siphoned off proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 20,241 crore outside India.”

The ongoing probe has already led to the arrest of several Vivo India executives and other associates, including Lava International’s former MD Hari Om Rai and Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang. The court had previously summoned 53 accused in the case.