On Thursday (16th November), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued summons to American businessman Neville Roy Singham in China in the NewsClick-Chinese funding case. The ED is said to have sent the notice through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
According to the reports, Singham is currently in Shanghai, China. The notice issued by the ED directs the American businessman to record his statement in India regarding allegations about him running a Chinese influence operation in India.
NewsClick Funding Probe
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) November 16, 2023
UPDATE || ED sends summons to Neville Roy Singham in China via MEA.@bhavatoshsingh joins @anchoramitaw with the latest details.#ED #NewsClick pic.twitter.com/lgkAqGmjRg
Notably last year, the Chinese authorities had refused to serve summons issued to Neville Roy Singham. Reports mention that Singham, a tech millionaire, was the subject of a letter rogatory that was sent to Chinese authorities last month, after a similar request that had been made last year to join the investigation was not fulfilled.
The New York Times reported earlier this year that Singham and his activist wife are being investigated by US agencies for promoting Beijing’s agenda, which he denies. Earlier, on 15h November, it was also reported that Singham and his wife had been extending massive financial support to anti-Israel protests in the US. The extent of the financial support has raised eyebrows and triggered questions about the motivations and implications of such extensive support for the pro-Palestinian, rather pro-Hamas protests in the United States.
Meanwhile, the ED has decided to seek interrogation of NewsClick promoter Prabir Purkayastha, who is currently in judicial custody after being arrested by Delhi Police on suspicion of anti-India activities.
Purkayastha will be questioned by the ED about his earlier denials of any ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) or its propaganda wing. Prior to his arrest by Delhi Police, the ED had questioned Purkayastha about his connections with Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, USA, which had invested Rs 9.6 crore in NewsClick in April 2018, just three months after it was founded.
According to company filings as of March 2019, the investment by Worldwide Media Holdings, the second largest shareholder in NewsClick after Purkayastha, has been its sole business activity. The ED stated that entities controlled by Singham poured large sums of money into PPK NewsClick Studio to promote Chinese propaganda on Belt and Road Initiative projects in developing countries.
NewsClick has publicly, and in court, denied the charge. Following a preliminary investigation into NewsClick and Purkayastha, the ED attached the latter’s flat in Saket, Delhi, valued at over Rs 4.5 crore, as well as Rs 41 lakh in his bank accounts. Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, is another prominent investor in NewsClick, in addition to Worldwide Media Holdings.
The NewsClick Controversy
On 5th August, The New York Times published a detailed article, revealing the ties of Neville Roy Singham with the Chinese government and his financial support to an Indian leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick.
According to the US-based newspaper, millionaire Neville Roy Singham has been funding several news publications worldwide (including India) to peddle Chinese propaganda.
“What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” the article stated.
The New York Times pointed out that Singham has successfully disseminated Chinese government talking points under the pretext of ‘progressive advocacy’ in countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa, and the United States.
During its investigation, the American newspaper found that Neville Roy Singham had financed an India-based leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick. It noted that the news outlet had repeated the talking points of the CCP in the past.
“In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Mr Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. “China’s history continues to inspire the working classes,” one video said,” noted The New York Times.
OpIndia’s complete coverage of the NewsClick controversy can be checked here.
