Adnan Sami left without a home in Mumbai

Playback singer Adnan Sami finds himself without a roof over his head. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a first-of-its-kind move, has confiscated all the properties owned by the Pakistani national. The singer’s properties — eight flats and five parking lots in a high rise in Lokhandwala, Andheri — are worth crores of rupees. The ED has also slapped a Rs20 lakh fine on Sami for violation of law.

According to the ED, the properties have been confiscated because they were purchased by the singer in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management (acquisition and transfer of immovable property in India) Regulations, 2000, notified under notification number FEMA 21/2000 — RB dated May 3, 2000.

“Under clause 7 of the said regulation, any person, who is a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal or Bhutan, cannot acquire or transfer any kind of immovable property in India. Such a person can, at the most, acquire property under lease. And that too for not more than five years,” an officer told DNA.

In Sami’s case, he does not have the authority to buy property in India since he is a Pakistani national. The ED had already issued notices to the singer and questioned him in January in connection with the issue.

Investigations have revealed that Sami had not sought mandatory permission from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) before purchasing the said properties. Also, the RBI had denied permission to Sami when he approached the bank after purchasing the properties.

According to sources in the ED, Sami had bought eight flats and five parking lots in Oberoi Sky Gardens, Lokhandwala, in 2003.
The value of the properties was more than Rs2.5 crore then. In 2008, the singer had transferred five flats and three parking lots in the name of his wife Sabah Galadari, a UAE national, who resides in Dubai. Even the transfer of property was in violation of the law because Sami did not seek the RBI’s permission, which is mandatory, a source explained. The ED has now sealed all the properties belonging to the playback singer and taken them under their control.

Sami did not respond to calls and messages.