Actor Sonu Sood finally spoke about the tax raids which happened in his Mumbai office. The Income Tax Department officials raided his office and house last week in connection with alleged tax evasion. Sonu Sood tweeted and said, “You don’t always have to tell your side of the story. Time will.”
The actor said in a statement he tweeted along with a couplet in Hindu, translated as – “even the most difficult path can seem easy with the goodwill of every Indian.”
He also wrote that he could not help people for a few days as he was attending to guests and from now will be back to support those in need.
Actor Sonu Sood worked for the welfare of the downtrodden during the Covid-19 pandemic. His efforts were really appreciated by all. His house and office were raided for four days in a row by the Income Tax department, which alleges that he evaded taxes worth over Rs 20 crore.
Sonu Sood released the statement on Rs 20 crore tax evasion allegation on Twitter and wrote, “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 for 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 past few days. Here I am back again, in all humility, at your humble service for life. My journey continues.”
Captioning his post with a Hindi couplet, “even the most difficult path can seem easy with the goodwill of every Indian.”
Responding to the actor’s statement, AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: “More power to you Sonu ji. You are a hero to millions of Indians.”
The IT raid happened after Sonu Sood’s recent meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who declared him the brand ambassador for his government’s mentorship programme for school students in Delhi. Sonu Sood, however, later clarified that he will not join AAP.
On Saturday, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) alleged that the actor and his associates evaded tax of Rs 20 crore after the Income Tax Department raided him and a Lucknow-based infrastructure group. It also accused Sood of violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising donations from abroad.
On September 15, the I-T department had searched 28 premises in Mumbai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi and Gurgaon in connection with its case against the actor and a Lucknow-based real estate firm. According to the tax authority, Sood’s charity foundation, which was founded last July, raised Rs 18.94 crore in donations from April 2021 till date and spent only Rs 1.7 crore in relief work. The remaining Rs 17 crore is lying with the foundation unused.