ED's conviction rate is very low. Yet, there is a sense that it's a process, which has become very difficult for civil society institutions, which have been under investigation.
Tag: ED
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Chhattisgarh: ED seizes Rs 4-cr cash, jewellery in money laundering case raids
By PTI
RAIPUR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized about Rs 4 crore worth of cash and jewellery during searches at several locations linked to government officers and businessmen in Chhattisgarh in connection with a money laundering case.
The seizures have been made from both the government officers and private entities raided, agency sources said.
The ED action pertains to a money laundering investigation into alleged illegal levy commissions sourced by certain entities from transporters in Chhattisgarh, the sources said.
The federal agency has taken cognisance of an Income Tax Department complaint and charge sheet to file a case under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
According to sources, separate teams of the ED have been conducting raids in state capital Raipur, Raigarh, Mahasamund, Korba and other districts since Tuesday.
Multiple teams of the agency escorted by central paramilitary forces personnel were part of the raids.
The searches covered premises of three Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including a district collector, businessman, including Suryakant Tiwari, and politicians of the ruling party, including former MLA and chairman of state’s seeds development corporation Agni Chandrakar, the sources said.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had termed the raids as an “act of intimidation”.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not able to fight directly, hence it is trying to fight through the ED, Income Tax (I-T) department and the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Baghel told reporters here.
“I have already said that they will come again and it’s not the last time. Their visits will increase as the election approaches. This is just an act of intimidation and nothing else,” he said.
RAIPUR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized about Rs 4 crore worth of cash and jewellery during searches at several locations linked to government officers and businessmen in Chhattisgarh in connection with a money laundering case.
The seizures have been made from both the government officers and private entities raided, agency sources said.
The ED action pertains to a money laundering investigation into alleged illegal levy commissions sourced by certain entities from transporters in Chhattisgarh, the sources said.
The federal agency has taken cognisance of an Income Tax Department complaint and charge sheet to file a case under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
According to sources, separate teams of the ED have been conducting raids in state capital Raipur, Raigarh, Mahasamund, Korba and other districts since Tuesday.
Multiple teams of the agency escorted by central paramilitary forces personnel were part of the raids.
The searches covered premises of three Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including a district collector, businessman, including Suryakant Tiwari, and politicians of the ruling party, including former MLA and chairman of state’s seeds development corporation Agni Chandrakar, the sources said.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had termed the raids as an “act of intimidation”.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not able to fight directly, hence it is trying to fight through the ED, Income Tax (I-T) department and the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Baghel told reporters here.
“I have already said that they will come again and it’s not the last time. Their visits will increase as the election approaches. This is just an act of intimidation and nothing else,” he said.
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Delhi excise policy: ED conducts fresh raids at 35 locations
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday launched fresh raids in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said.
The searches are being carried out at about 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and some places in Hyderabad, they said.
Some liquor distributors, companies and linked entities are being searched, the sources said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted more than 103 raids in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit last month in the case.
The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR.
The liquor scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi’s Excise Policy 2021-22.
He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.
NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday launched fresh raids in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said.
The searches are being carried out at about 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and some places in Hyderabad, they said.
Some liquor distributors, companies and linked entities are being searched, the sources said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted more than 103 raids in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit last month in the case.
The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR.
The liquor scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi’s Excise Policy 2021-22.
He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.
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Delhi HC dismisses Satyendar Jain’s plea challenging transfer of money laundering case
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Saturday dismissed a plea by Delhi minister Satyendar Jain challenging a lower court order to transfer the money laundering case against him to another court.
Justice Yogesh said all facts were duly considered by the Principal District and Session’s Judge while transferring the case, which is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and it cannot be held that the decision suffered from any illegality or needed interference.
“The question is not of an integrity or uprightness of the judge but is of an apprehension in the mind of a party,” the court stated.
“The petition is therefore, dismissed,” the court said in its order.
Jain had moved the high court last month challenging the September 23 order of the Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta, who transferred the money laundering case to Special Judge Vikas Dhull from Special Judge Geetanjali Goel, who was hearing his bail plea.
The district judge’s order was passed on an application for transfer moved by the investigating agency.
The agency, in its transfer application before the district judge, had argued that while there was no complaint against the judge hearing the matter, it was “a case of probable bias” in favour of the Delhi minister and there was an apprehension that it might not get an independent and impartial hearing.
The AAP leader argued before the high court that the ED cannot be allowed to brow beat a judge and seek transfer of the case citing “bias” without any basis.
The ED had arrested Jain and two others in the money laundering case based on a Central Bureau of Investigation FIR lodged against the AAP leader in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Jain is accused of having laundered money through four companies linked to him.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Saturday dismissed a plea by Delhi minister Satyendar Jain challenging a lower court order to transfer the money laundering case against him to another court.
Justice Yogesh said all facts were duly considered by the Principal District and Session’s Judge while transferring the case, which is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and it cannot be held that the decision suffered from any illegality or needed interference.
“The question is not of an integrity or uprightness of the judge but is of an apprehension in the mind of a party,” the court stated.
“The petition is therefore, dismissed,” the court said in its order.
Jain had moved the high court last month challenging the September 23 order of the Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta, who transferred the money laundering case to Special Judge Vikas Dhull from Special Judge Geetanjali Goel, who was hearing his bail plea.
The district judge’s order was passed on an application for transfer moved by the investigating agency.
The agency, in its transfer application before the district judge, had argued that while there was no complaint against the judge hearing the matter, it was “a case of probable bias” in favour of the Delhi minister and there was an apprehension that it might not get an independent and impartial hearing.
The AAP leader argued before the high court that the ED cannot be allowed to brow beat a judge and seek transfer of the case citing “bias” without any basis.
The ED had arrested Jain and two others in the money laundering case based on a Central Bureau of Investigation FIR lodged against the AAP leader in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Jain is accused of having laundered money through four companies linked to him.
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School job scam: Court extends judicial custody of Partha Chatterjee, his ‘aide’ till Oct 31
By PTI
KOLKATA: A special PMLA court here on Wednesday rejected the bail prayer of arrested former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and extended his judicial custody till October 31 on a prayer by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the alleged money trail in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam.
The special court also extended the judicial remand of Chatterjee’s alleged close aide, Arpita Mukherjee, till October 31.
The ED, which had claimed in a charge sheet submitted before the court on September 19 that approximately Rs 100 crore was recovered in the form of cash and assets of Mukherjee, submitted that the amount could go up to Rs 150 crore with fresh revelations in the progressing investigation.
The judge of the special PMLA court rejected the bail prayer of Chatterjee considering the “gravity and seriousness” of the offence alleged and ordered that the judicial custody of the former minister be extended till October 31.
The court also allowed the prayers of the ED to interrogate the two accused in judicial custody.
The ED alleged that Chatterjee and Mukherjee were involved in money laundering by indulging in criminal conspiracy for illegally giving teaching post jobs on recommendations by the School Service Commission (SSC) in state-sponsored and —aided school, and generated huge proceeds of crime.
ED counsel Phiroze Edulji submitted that investigation into other high-value transactions is required to be done to unearth the money trail and identify the proceeds of crime.
Edulji claimed that the amount could go up to around Rs 150 crore.
Praying for Chatterjee’s bail, his lawyers claimed that no money was recovered from his house and that he does not have any close connection with Arpita Mukherjee, from whose flats Rs 49.80 crore in cash was seized by the ED.
It was further claimed that no tangible evidence was recovered from Chatterjee to substantiate the charges leveled against him.
Chatterjee and Mukherjee were held on July 23 by the ED in connection with its probe into the money trail involved in the school recruitment scam.
Following the arrest, the duo was in the custody of the agency of 14 days. They were then remanded in judicial custody on orders of the court.
The ED has said that it has seized Rs 49.80 crore in cash, apart from jewellery and gold bars from flats owned by Mukherjee, as also documents of properties.
It has also been stated by the agency that Mukherjee’s close association with family members of Chatterjee has been found in a company registered at an address owned by the former at Belghoria, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, from where Rs 27.90 crore in cash was seized.
The ED had also recovered Rs 21.90 crore in cash from a flat in south Kolkata where Mukherjee resided.
Chatterjee was relieved of his ministerial duties by the Mamata Banerjee government shortly after his arrest, while the TMC, too, removed him from the posts he held in the party, including that of the secretary-general. He was the education minister when the scam was allegedly pulled off.
KOLKATA: A special PMLA court here on Wednesday rejected the bail prayer of arrested former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and extended his judicial custody till October 31 on a prayer by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the alleged money trail in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam.
The special court also extended the judicial remand of Chatterjee’s alleged close aide, Arpita Mukherjee, till October 31.
The ED, which had claimed in a charge sheet submitted before the court on September 19 that approximately Rs 100 crore was recovered in the form of cash and assets of Mukherjee, submitted that the amount could go up to Rs 150 crore with fresh revelations in the progressing investigation.
The judge of the special PMLA court rejected the bail prayer of Chatterjee considering the “gravity and seriousness” of the offence alleged and ordered that the judicial custody of the former minister be extended till October 31.
The court also allowed the prayers of the ED to interrogate the two accused in judicial custody.
The ED alleged that Chatterjee and Mukherjee were involved in money laundering by indulging in criminal conspiracy for illegally giving teaching post jobs on recommendations by the School Service Commission (SSC) in state-sponsored and —aided school, and generated huge proceeds of crime.
ED counsel Phiroze Edulji submitted that investigation into other high-value transactions is required to be done to unearth the money trail and identify the proceeds of crime.
Edulji claimed that the amount could go up to around Rs 150 crore.
Praying for Chatterjee’s bail, his lawyers claimed that no money was recovered from his house and that he does not have any close connection with Arpita Mukherjee, from whose flats Rs 49.80 crore in cash was seized by the ED.
It was further claimed that no tangible evidence was recovered from Chatterjee to substantiate the charges leveled against him.
Chatterjee and Mukherjee were held on July 23 by the ED in connection with its probe into the money trail involved in the school recruitment scam.
Following the arrest, the duo was in the custody of the agency of 14 days. They were then remanded in judicial custody on orders of the court.
The ED has said that it has seized Rs 49.80 crore in cash, apart from jewellery and gold bars from flats owned by Mukherjee, as also documents of properties.
It has also been stated by the agency that Mukherjee’s close association with family members of Chatterjee has been found in a company registered at an address owned by the former at Belghoria, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, from where Rs 27.90 crore in cash was seized.
The ED had also recovered Rs 21.90 crore in cash from a flat in south Kolkata where Mukherjee resided.
Chatterjee was relieved of his ministerial duties by the Mamata Banerjee government shortly after his arrest, while the TMC, too, removed him from the posts he held in the party, including that of the secretary-general. He was the education minister when the scam was allegedly pulled off.
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NAN scam: Supreme Court highlights gravity of ED claim about HC judge’s involvement
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday highlighted the gravity of the ED’s claim that some constitutional functionaries were in touch with a high court judge to help the accused in the ‘Nagrik Apurti Nigam’ (NAN) scam in Chhattisgarh, saying it stood on “completely different footing” as the judge was allegedly a party to “some kind of conversation”.
Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, heading the bench, referred to his role as the head of the judiciary and said besides sitting in the appellate jurisdiction in the case, he is also “donning a different hat” and is authorised to take corrective administrative actions.
The bench, also comprising justices Ajay Rastogi and S Ravindra, meanwhile, asked the special court in Chhattisgarh not to proceed with the trial in the case and fixed ED’s plea for a hearing on October 12.
The anti-money laundering agency made a startling claim recently about some constitutional functionaries of Chhattisgarh being in touch with an HC judge to ensure judicial relief to some accused in a money laundering case arising out of the alleged multi-crore rupees NAN scam.
Besides seeking transfer of the PMLA case outside Chhattisgarh, the ED has sought cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to some high-profile accused in the money laundering case.
It recently submitted a sealed cover report containing some objectionable WhatsApp messages, indicating the involvement of the constitutional functionaries, to the bench.
Distinguishing between the present case and the other one cited by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for an accused, the bench said, “What has happened here and what is projected here is something different. If the presiding officer himself is a party to some kind of conversation or being approached, then the matter stands on a completely different footing”.
“So, therefore, at this juncture and that is why he (Solicitor General for ED) is also justified in saying that we are in a different capacity altogether because not only as the appellate court, but also as the court which can take corrective action when it comes on the administrative side. Correct?” the CJI said.
There are various methodologies by which a court can take administrative control of the situation, the bench said about permitting the filing of a sealed cover report in a case.
“I also happen to be donning a different hat. therefore when he (ED’s counsel) says that please see those WhatsApp messages. And those WhatsApp messages may point in certain directions, therefore it is not just the investigation part, it is something greater than that also,” the CJI said.
The bench said it will peruse the material supplied in the sealed cover by the ED, before thinking of handing them to the counsel for the accused.
At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for ED, referred to the facts and chronology of events in the case, alleging witnesses have turned hostile and the entire trial in the predicate offences have been botched up.
Mehta then indicated toward the messages and said it was not a simple case where a probe agency was seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to some of the accused and transfer of the case.
He said the matter related to the trust of the common people in the system. The moment he sought to rely on the sealed cover material, Rohatgi raised preliminary objections.
“Either, it (sealed cover report) should be part of the records and everybody should get it, otherwise this procedure, according to me, is not established by law,” he contended.
“My objection is that all materials filed or relied upon must be made available to a party unless privilege is claimed in terms of section 123 of the Evidence Act,” he said.
The bench then made the reference to the gravity of the situation and said it will take a decision on the question of relying on the material in the sealed cover on the next date of hearing.
“Unless we are satisfied, we are not going to rely. Because of the slightly delicate nature of the matter, we will not like to give you the copy straightaway. Straight and simple. If it crosses the threshold bar, we will certainly give you the copy,” the CJI said.
The law officer had alleged that some high constitutional functionaries of the state along with members of the SIT were “weakening” the case with the connivance of the accused which included two senior IAS officers.
The Enforcement Directorate had said its plea against the grant of bail needed an urgent hearing in view of the fact that the evidence has been “cooked up” in favour of the accused senior officers in the case.
Prior to this, the Chhattisgarh High Court had granted anticipatory bail to IAS officers Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla in the money laundering case related to the Chhattisgarh Civil Supply Corporation scam.
In 2019, the ED had lodged an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which was based on the FIR and charge sheet filed by the Chhattisgarh police’s economic offences wing (EOW) and the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) in the civil supply scam.
The alleged scam came to light in February 2015, when a BJP government under Raman Singh was at the helm.
The ACB conducted raids on the offices of NAN, the agency entrusted with the task of effective functioning of the Public Distribution System (PDS), and seized unaccounted cash totalling Rs 3.64 crore.
The FIR alleged wide-scale corrupt practices in the procurement and transportation of rice and other food grains which involved officials and others related to the state Civil Supplies Corporation, Raipur.
The central probe agency has alleged that the accused officers “time and again” evaded the proceedings established by law and have been successfully able to thwart an impartial investigation and trial due to their political clout.
Referring to an income tax raid, it said the mobile phone records of two accused officers revealed that they and others have weakened the offence of corruption by procuring favourable reports from prosecuting agencies and the state SIT.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday highlighted the gravity of the ED’s claim that some constitutional functionaries were in touch with a high court judge to help the accused in the ‘Nagrik Apurti Nigam’ (NAN) scam in Chhattisgarh, saying it stood on “completely different footing” as the judge was allegedly a party to “some kind of conversation”.
Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, heading the bench, referred to his role as the head of the judiciary and said besides sitting in the appellate jurisdiction in the case, he is also “donning a different hat” and is authorised to take corrective administrative actions.
The bench, also comprising justices Ajay Rastogi and S Ravindra, meanwhile, asked the special court in Chhattisgarh not to proceed with the trial in the case and fixed ED’s plea for a hearing on October 12.
The anti-money laundering agency made a startling claim recently about some constitutional functionaries of Chhattisgarh being in touch with an HC judge to ensure judicial relief to some accused in a money laundering case arising out of the alleged multi-crore rupees NAN scam.
Besides seeking transfer of the PMLA case outside Chhattisgarh, the ED has sought cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to some high-profile accused in the money laundering case.
It recently submitted a sealed cover report containing some objectionable WhatsApp messages, indicating the involvement of the constitutional functionaries, to the bench.
Distinguishing between the present case and the other one cited by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for an accused, the bench said, “What has happened here and what is projected here is something different. If the presiding officer himself is a party to some kind of conversation or being approached, then the matter stands on a completely different footing”.
“So, therefore, at this juncture and that is why he (Solicitor General for ED) is also justified in saying that we are in a different capacity altogether because not only as the appellate court, but also as the court which can take corrective action when it comes on the administrative side. Correct?” the CJI said.
There are various methodologies by which a court can take administrative control of the situation, the bench said about permitting the filing of a sealed cover report in a case.
“I also happen to be donning a different hat. therefore when he (ED’s counsel) says that please see those WhatsApp messages. And those WhatsApp messages may point in certain directions, therefore it is not just the investigation part, it is something greater than that also,” the CJI said.
The bench said it will peruse the material supplied in the sealed cover by the ED, before thinking of handing them to the counsel for the accused.
At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for ED, referred to the facts and chronology of events in the case, alleging witnesses have turned hostile and the entire trial in the predicate offences have been botched up.
Mehta then indicated toward the messages and said it was not a simple case where a probe agency was seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to some of the accused and transfer of the case.
He said the matter related to the trust of the common people in the system. The moment he sought to rely on the sealed cover material, Rohatgi raised preliminary objections.
“Either, it (sealed cover report) should be part of the records and everybody should get it, otherwise this procedure, according to me, is not established by law,” he contended.
“My objection is that all materials filed or relied upon must be made available to a party unless privilege is claimed in terms of section 123 of the Evidence Act,” he said.
The bench then made the reference to the gravity of the situation and said it will take a decision on the question of relying on the material in the sealed cover on the next date of hearing.
“Unless we are satisfied, we are not going to rely. Because of the slightly delicate nature of the matter, we will not like to give you the copy straightaway. Straight and simple. If it crosses the threshold bar, we will certainly give you the copy,” the CJI said.
The law officer had alleged that some high constitutional functionaries of the state along with members of the SIT were “weakening” the case with the connivance of the accused which included two senior IAS officers.
The Enforcement Directorate had said its plea against the grant of bail needed an urgent hearing in view of the fact that the evidence has been “cooked up” in favour of the accused senior officers in the case.
Prior to this, the Chhattisgarh High Court had granted anticipatory bail to IAS officers Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla in the money laundering case related to the Chhattisgarh Civil Supply Corporation scam.
In 2019, the ED had lodged an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which was based on the FIR and charge sheet filed by the Chhattisgarh police’s economic offences wing (EOW) and the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) in the civil supply scam.
The alleged scam came to light in February 2015, when a BJP government under Raman Singh was at the helm.
The ACB conducted raids on the offices of NAN, the agency entrusted with the task of effective functioning of the Public Distribution System (PDS), and seized unaccounted cash totalling Rs 3.64 crore.
The FIR alleged wide-scale corrupt practices in the procurement and transportation of rice and other food grains which involved officials and others related to the state Civil Supplies Corporation, Raipur.
The central probe agency has alleged that the accused officers “time and again” evaded the proceedings established by law and have been successfully able to thwart an impartial investigation and trial due to their political clout.
Referring to an income tax raid, it said the mobile phone records of two accused officers revealed that they and others have weakened the offence of corruption by procuring favourable reports from prosecuting agencies and the state SIT.
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National Herald: ED issues notices to Congress leaders from Andhra, Telangana
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has issued notices to some Congress leaders from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in connection with its ongoing money laundering investigation into the operations of the Congress party-owned National Herald newspaper, officials said on Friday.
While some of the politicians belonging to the party have been summoned for questioning here over the next few weeks, others have been given notices to explain certain payments made to Young Indian, the company that owns the news outlet.
Officials said four leaders have been issued the notices.
Earlier this week, Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar had told reporters after finishing his questioning session with the ED in Delhi that he was questioned about certain transactions made by him to this company in the past.
“Surprisingly, they (ED officials) have asked me about the payment from one of my trust, from me and my brother, to Young Indian,” he told reporters on September 19.
Shivakumar said he had sought more time from the agency to furnish details about his assets and liabilities.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son and MP Rahul Gandhi, apart from some other Congress leaders, have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the National Herald money laundering case.
The National Herald newspaper is published by Associated Journals Ltd and the ED had in August searched the Young Indian office located at ITO in Delhi as part of this probe.
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has issued notices to some Congress leaders from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in connection with its ongoing money laundering investigation into the operations of the Congress party-owned National Herald newspaper, officials said on Friday.
While some of the politicians belonging to the party have been summoned for questioning here over the next few weeks, others have been given notices to explain certain payments made to Young Indian, the company that owns the news outlet.
Officials said four leaders have been issued the notices.
Earlier this week, Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar had told reporters after finishing his questioning session with the ED in Delhi that he was questioned about certain transactions made by him to this company in the past.
“Surprisingly, they (ED officials) have asked me about the payment from one of my trust, from me and my brother, to Young Indian,” he told reporters on September 19.
Shivakumar said he had sought more time from the agency to furnish details about his assets and liabilities.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son and MP Rahul Gandhi, apart from some other Congress leaders, have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the National Herald money laundering case.
The National Herald newspaper is published by Associated Journals Ltd and the ED had in August searched the Young Indian office located at ITO in Delhi as part of this probe.
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ED grills former Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain in alleged money laundering case
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s former health minister Satyendar Kumar Jain lodged at Tihar Prison is being questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths on Friday in an alleged money laundering case.
The ED had initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2017 against Jain and others under the provisions of sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 109 of the Indian Penal Code.
During the course of the investigation, on March 3, 2022, ED had provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs. 4.81 Crore belonging to Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd., Indo MetalimpexPvt Ltd, ParyasInfosolutions Pvt. Ltd., Manglayatan Projects Pvt. Ltd., J.J. Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd., and others under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
An investigation by ED revealed that during the period 2015-16, when Jain was a public servant, the above-mentioned four companies (beneficially owned and controlled by him) received accommodation entries to the tune of Rs.4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata based entry operators through Hawala route.
ALSO READ | Pan-India raids: ED searches 40 locations as part of Delhi liquor policy case
These amounts were utilized for the direct purchase of agricultural land or for the repayment of loans taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi. The accused persons were therefore found to be involved in the activity connected with the “Proceeds of Crime” generated as a result of criminal activity related to the scheduled offence and thereby have committed offences of Section 3 of PMLA 2002.
Jain was arrested on 30.05.2022 and Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain were arrested on 30.06.2022 for the commission of an offence under Section 3 of PMLA, 2002. These three accused are currently in Judicial Custody.
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s former health minister Satyendar Kumar Jain lodged at Tihar Prison is being questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths on Friday in an alleged money laundering case.
The ED had initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2017 against Jain and others under the provisions of sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 109 of the Indian Penal Code.
During the course of the investigation, on March 3, 2022, ED had provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs. 4.81 Crore belonging to Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd., Indo MetalimpexPvt Ltd, ParyasInfosolutions Pvt. Ltd., Manglayatan Projects Pvt. Ltd., J.J. Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd., and others under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
An investigation by ED revealed that during the period 2015-16, when Jain was a public servant, the above-mentioned four companies (beneficially owned and controlled by him) received accommodation entries to the tune of Rs.4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata based entry operators through Hawala route.
ALSO READ | Pan-India raids: ED searches 40 locations as part of Delhi liquor policy case
These amounts were utilized for the direct purchase of agricultural land or for the repayment of loans taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi. The accused persons were therefore found to be involved in the activity connected with the “Proceeds of Crime” generated as a result of criminal activity related to the scheduled offence and thereby have committed offences of Section 3 of PMLA 2002.
Jain was arrested on 30.05.2022 and Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain were arrested on 30.06.2022 for the commission of an offence under Section 3 of PMLA, 2002. These three accused are currently in Judicial Custody.
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Pan-India raids: ED searches 40 locations as part of Delhi liquor policy case
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday launched fresh raids at about 40 locations across the country as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now scrapped Delhi Excise Policy, official sources said.
The searches are being conducted at premises linked to liquor businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks in Nellore and some other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi-NCR, they said.
This is the second round of raids being conducted by the federal agency in this case after it first conducted searches on September 6 at about 45 locations across the country.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) case of money laundering in the excise policy stems from a CBI FIR in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and some bureaucrats have been named as accused.
The excise policy has been rolled back now.
The CBI conducted raids in the case on August 19, covering the Delhi residences of Sisodia (50), IAS officer and former Delhi excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, and 19 other locations across seven states and Union Territories.
Sisodia holds multiple portfolios in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government including excise and education.
The ED is probing if alleged irregularities were done in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy brought out in November last year and if some alleged “proceeds of crime” in terms of tainted money was generated by the accused.
The agency also is expected to question AAP leader and minister Satyendar Jain in the Tihar jail in connection with this case on Friday after it obtained permission from a local court to do so.
NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday launched fresh raids at about 40 locations across the country as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now scrapped Delhi Excise Policy, official sources said.
The searches are being conducted at premises linked to liquor businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks in Nellore and some other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi-NCR, they said.
This is the second round of raids being conducted by the federal agency in this case after it first conducted searches on September 6 at about 45 locations across the country.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) case of money laundering in the excise policy stems from a CBI FIR in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and some bureaucrats have been named as accused.
The excise policy has been rolled back now.
The CBI conducted raids in the case on August 19, covering the Delhi residences of Sisodia (50), IAS officer and former Delhi excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, and 19 other locations across seven states and Union Territories.
Sisodia holds multiple portfolios in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government including excise and education.
The ED is probing if alleged irregularities were done in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy brought out in November last year and if some alleged “proceeds of crime” in terms of tainted money was generated by the accused.
The agency also is expected to question AAP leader and minister Satyendar Jain in the Tihar jail in connection with this case on Friday after it obtained permission from a local court to do so.
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TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s kin appears before ED in coal scam case
By PTI
KOLKATA: Maneka Gambhir, the sister-in-law of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for questioning in connection with an alleged coal scam case. The ED issued fresh summons to Gambhir after it ‘erroneously’ issued her a notice for an appearance at 12:30 am instead of 12:30 pm on Monday, official sources said.
Gambhir, who was then asked to appear by 2 pm, reached the agency’s office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake around 12.40 pm.
Earlier, the ED was left red-faced when Gambhir arrived at its office here past midnight, as the notice asked her to appear before the agency at 12.30 am on Monday.
Gambir reached the ED office and posed for a picture before a locked office along with the notice, which the agency later termed a “typographical error”, the sources said.
She was accompanied by a lawyer. Gambhir was handed over the summons to appear at the ED office on Monday by agency officials at the Kolkata airport on September 10, after she was denied from taking an international flight.
The Calcutta High Court had in August directed the ED to question Gambhir at its regional office in Kolkata and not in Delhi, and also not to take coercive steps against her till the next date of hearing.
Gambhir had challenged an ED summons that asked her to appear before it in Delhi on September 5 in connection with the alleged coal scam case and had sought direction from the court to the agency to allow her to appear before it in Kolkata, where she claimed she resides.
The central agency had earlier questioned Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and his wife Rujira, in connection with the case.
KOLKATA: Maneka Gambhir, the sister-in-law of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for questioning in connection with an alleged coal scam case. The ED issued fresh summons to Gambhir after it ‘erroneously’ issued her a notice for an appearance at 12:30 am instead of 12:30 pm on Monday, official sources said.
Gambhir, who was then asked to appear by 2 pm, reached the agency’s office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake around 12.40 pm.
Earlier, the ED was left red-faced when Gambhir arrived at its office here past midnight, as the notice asked her to appear before the agency at 12.30 am on Monday.
Gambir reached the ED office and posed for a picture before a locked office along with the notice, which the agency later termed a “typographical error”, the sources said.
She was accompanied by a lawyer. Gambhir was handed over the summons to appear at the ED office on Monday by agency officials at the Kolkata airport on September 10, after she was denied from taking an international flight.
The Calcutta High Court had in August directed the ED to question Gambhir at its regional office in Kolkata and not in Delhi, and also not to take coercive steps against her till the next date of hearing.
Gambhir had challenged an ED summons that asked her to appear before it in Delhi on September 5 in connection with the alleged coal scam case and had sought direction from the court to the agency to allow her to appear before it in Kolkata, where she claimed she resides.
The central agency had earlier questioned Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and his wife Rujira, in connection with the case.