A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Monday summoned businessman Raj Kundra in connection with the Bitcoin scam case after taking cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The court also issued summons to Dubai-based businessman Rajesh Satija. Both have been asked to appear before the court on January 19.

Kundra and Satija were named as accused in a supplementary chargesheet filed by the ED in September last year.

According to the ED, Kundra received 285 Bitcoins from Amit Bhardwaj, the alleged mastermind of the Gain Bitcoin Ponzi scheme, for setting up a Bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine. As the project did not go ahead, Kundra is alleged to still be holding the Bitcoins, currently valued at over ₹150 crore.

The ED said Kundra claimed he acted only as a mediator but failed to provide documents to support this claim. Instead, the agency pointed out that an agreement was signed between Kundra and Mahender Bhardwaj, Amit Bhardwaj’s father.

The agency also noted that Kundra could recall the exact number of Bitcoins received in five tranches even after several years, which, according to the ED, shows he was the beneficiary of the Bitcoins.

It further alleged that despite several opportunities since 2018, Kundra has not disclosed the wallet addresses where the Bitcoins were transferred. Kundra reportedly blamed damage to his iPhone X for the missing details, a claim the ED has termed an attempt to conceal the proceeds of crime