Sonu Sood opens up for the first time after the raid was conducted at his place. The Central Board of Direct Taxes alleged that the actor had evaded taxes and stocked up on crore of rupees. Earlier in the day, Sonu Sood issued a statement and wrote that every penny will eventually be spent on humanitarian causes.
In an interview with NDTV, Sonu Sood said he is performing his ‘due diligence’ before deciding which cause to support. Sonu Sood said that a part of the money is his remuneration for brand endorsements and deals, which he had encouraged should be diverted to worthy causes. Sonu said,
“Whatever documents, details they asked for, we gave. Whatever questions they asked, I answered. I did my part, they did theirs. Whatever questions they raised, we answered each and every one of them with documents. That’s my duty. We are still providing documents…it is part of the process.”
Sonu Sood also added that the tax officials were impresses with his detailed paperwork. They even agreed that he had done ‘good work.’ Sonu Sood continued,
“I asked them – have you ever seen this kind of documentation, details, paperwork? They said no…they were also happy with whatever they were seeing. They said it was the smoothest four days of raids for them.”
Regarding the illegal transfer of foreign cash into his account, Sonu Sood said that the money was going directly to the beneficiaries. He could not get a ‘single dollar’ into his account. He further added,
“I have 54,000 unread mails, thousands of messages on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter. It will not even take 18 hours to finish 18 crores. But I have to make sure every single penny is used in a proper way, for a genuine and needy person.”
Earlier in the day, Sonu took to his social media and said in a statement,
“You don’t always have to tell your side of the story. Time will. I have pledged myself to the service of the people of India with all my strength and heart. Every rupee in my foundation is awaiting its turn to save a precious life and reach the needy. In addition, on many occasions, I have encouraged brands to donate my endorsement fees to humanitarian causes too, which keeps us going. I have been busy attending to a few guests, hence was unable to be at your service, for the last four days. Here I am back again in all humility. At your humble service, for life.”
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The Central Board of Direct Taxes said that the charity foundation set up by Sonu Sood was incorporated on July 21, 2020. He has collected donations of INR 18.94 crore from April 1, 2021, to date. Out of this, it said, the foundation has spent around INR 1.9 crore for various relief works. The balance of INR 17 crores has been found lying “unutilized” in its bank account. It is seen, the statement alleged, that funds to the tune of INR 2.1 crore have also been raised by the charity foundation from overseas donors on a crowdfunding platform ‘in violation’ of FCRA regulations.
Sonu Sood has been raising funds to help the people during the coronavirus pandemic. He began his efforts last year. Sonu has helped many migrant workers to get transportation to their homes. He also helped people in getting medical help and treatment.
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