News Analysis India

Tag: Enforcement Directorate (ED)

  • ED Arrests Jharkhand Minister`s Secretary, Domestic Help After Rs 35.23 Cr Cash Seized

    Congress leader Alamgir Alam, Jharkhand’s rural development minister, denied any wrongdoing.
     

  • ED Freezes Raj Kundra’s Assets, Including Shilpa Shetty’s Juhu Flat, Worth Rs 97 Crore Under PMLA |

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday seized assets worth a whopping Rs 98 crore, which includes a luxurious bungalow in Pune and equity shares, all belonging to the renowned actor Shilpa Shetty and her entrepreneur husband Raj Kundra. The case revolves around the misuse of investor funds through the digital currency, Bitcoin. The seized properties comprise a plush residential flat in the upscale Juhu area of Mumbai, currently registered under Shetty’s name, and a residential bungalow in Pune along with equity shares, all in Kundra’s name.

    The ED has issued a provisional attachment order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), effectively freezing these properties valued at Rs 97.79 crore.

    The roots of this money laundering case trace back to FIRs lodged by the Maharashtra Police and Delhi Police against a company named Variable Tech Pte Ltd and several individuals including Late Amit Bhardwaj, Ajay Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Simpy Bhardwaj, Mahender Bhardwaj, and numerous agents. It was alleged that they had amassed a staggering amount of funds in the form of Bitcoins (valued at Rs 6,600 crore in 2017) from unsuspecting public, luring them with false promises of a 10% monthly return in the form of Bitcoins.

    The promoters are accused of duping the investors and concealing the ill-gotten Bitcoins in obscure online wallets. The ED has alleged that Kundra received 285 Bitcoins from Amit Bhardwaj, the mastermind and promoter of the Gain Bitcoin Ponzi scam, for setting up a Bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine.

    Interestingly, Kundra is still in possession of these 285 Bitcoins, which are currently valued at over Rs 150 crore, as per the ED’s statement.

  • Arvind Kejriwal Arrest LIVE Updates | Court Sends Delhi CM To 4-Day ED Remand |

    Arvind Kejriwal Arrest LIVE Updates: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Arvind Kejriwal, was today produced before the Rouse Avenue Court, following the conclusion of his custodial remand by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This development comes in the wake of Kejriwal’s arrest in connection with an alleged excise policy-linked money laundering case. While the ED sought seven days remand of the Delhi CM, the court sent Kejriwal to four-day ED custody.

    On the other hand, the Delhi High Court also heard a public interest litigation (PIL) today, which sought Kejriwal’s removal from the post of Chief Minister of the Government of NCT of Delhi. The hearing was presided over by Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora. The court rejected the PIL saying that there is no leagl bar in the case and Kejriwal can continue to function as the Delhi CM. In another case, the Delhi High Court has also issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate in response to a petition filed by Kejriwal challenging his arrest and the ED remand granted by the trial court.

    Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of the embattled Chief Minister, asserted that her husband’s health is not well and he is being harrased by the ED. 

    CM Kejriwal’s arrest and court proceedings LIVE here:

    4.43 pm: ED while seeking remand stated that Data in one mobile phone (belonging to the arrestee’s wife) has been extracted and is being analyzed. However, data from the other 4 digital devices seized during search at Arvind Kejriwal’s premises on 21.03.2024 (belonging to the arrestee himself) are yet to be extracted as the arrestee has sought time to provide password/login credentials after consulting with his lawyers.

    3.50 pm: The Rouse Avenue Court sent the Delhi CM to four-day ED remand. Kejriwal’s ED remand will now end on April 1. 

    3.30 pm: Arvind Kejriwal said in court that the ED has only two missions – two crush him and finish Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal said that his name is mentioned only four times in the documents of the ED and CBI. Kejriwal told the court that he was arrested on behalf of some statements that are not enough to arrest even a thief.

    02:43: The ASG SV Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), stated that Arvind Kejriwal’s statements have been documented, and he provided evasive responses. ASG remarked that Kejriwal is intentionally refusing to cooperate with their investigation. He informed the Rouse Avenue court that during custody, Arvind Kejriwal did not divulge the passwords, resulting in the lack of access to digital data. The ED further said that, “A CM is not above the law.” According to Zee News TV report, The court has reserved the order regarding Enforcement Directorate’s plea seeking 7 days extension of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s custody remand.

    02:38: It is claimed that there was a scam worth Rs 100 crore… Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal asserted before the Rouse Avenue Court during his ED remand hearing that Justice Sanjiv Khanna stated the money trail has not been identified yet… Kejriwal submits that the motive of the ED is to dismantle the Aam Aadmi Party.

    02:31:  CM Kejriwal says in his defence,”The case was initiated by the CBI two years back…The ED submitted a report spanning 25 thousand pages…Numerous ministers have visited my residence over time… I question why the arrest is solely based on verbal statements.” He is speaking in the Rouse Avenue Court. 

    02:24: “He is not proven guilty in any court,” Arvind Kejriwal says in Rouse Avenue Court.

    02:19: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says, upon arrival at the Rouse Avenue court, “It is a political conspiracy and the people will give an answer to it.” 

    02:14: ED has requested an extension of seven additional days for the custody of the Delhi CM by remand, says he needs to be confronted with some people linked with excise policy case.

    02:05: Arvind Kejriwal has reached Rouse Avenue Court, and the court hearing has begun. His wife Sunita Kejriwal is also present in the proceeding.

    01:45: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal being brought out of ED office; to be taken to Rouse Avenue Court. 

    VIDEO | “This is a political conspiracy, the public will give a befitting reply,” says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) in response to a media query on Delhi L-G VK Saxena’s ‘government cannot run from jail’ remark.

    Kejriwal has been brought to Rouse Avenue Court in… pic.twitter.com/q7n2zYuHKb


    — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 28, 2024

    01:30: Delhi High Court rejects PIL seeking removal of Arvind Kejriwal from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi.

    01:00 PM: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be produced before Rouse Avenue Court at 2 pm today on the expiry of his six days of ED custody.

     

  • ED Books Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan`s Daughter Veena In Money Laundering Case

    ED has begun investigating questionable financial dealings involving a contentious mining company and the IT firm of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena

  • ‘Conspiracy To Arrest Me, Summons Illegal’: Arvind Kejriwal Says Ready For Legal Battle Against ED |

    New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday refused to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam case, calling the summons “false” and “illegal”. He also accused the BJP-led central government of using the ED and other agencies to harass and intimidate him and his party leaders ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said that he has explained to the ED why their summons is illegal and that he will not obey an unlawful order. He said that his biggest strength and asset is his honesty and that he has always fought for the country.

    “In the last two years, all the agencies of BJP have conducted many raids but not a single penny was found. If there is corruption then where is the money? AAP leaders are kept in jail in such fake cases. Now BJP wants to arrest me. My biggest strength and asset is my honesty,” he said.

    He also questioned the timing of the notice, saying that the BJP wants to stop him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. He said that he had cooperated with the CBI when they had called him eight months ago, but now the ED is trying to implicate him in a 31-year-old case.

    “My lawyers told me that the summons was illegal, I wrote the question and sent it to ED. Should I obey an unlawful summon? If a legal summons comes, I will comply with it. Why am I being called just before the Lok Sabha elections? Eight months ago I was called by CBI, I went and gave all the answers. Today they want to stop me from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections,” he added.

    Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP is using the ED to lure opposition leaders into joining their party and that they are targeting honest leaders like Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Vijay Nair. He appealed to the people to support him in his fight against the BJP’s “politics of hatred and vendetta”.

    “Today, opposition leaders are being included in the BJP through ED. Whoever joins his party, all his matters get resolved. Today honest leaders like Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Vijay Nair have been put in jail. I have always fought for the country. Every breath of mine is for the country. We have to save the country together. I am fighting against them with all my heart, I need your support,” he said.

    The ED had issued a third summons to Kejriwal on December 22 last year, asking him to appear before the agency on January 3. The summons was in relation to a case registered by the ED in 2019 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against some liquor companies and government officials for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 1,000 crore to the Delhi government by evading excise duty.

    Kejriwal, in his reply to the ED, had expressed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation but declined to appear on the summoned date, calling the notice “illegal”. He had also questioned the agency for not responding to his earlier replies when the summons was sent to him and he had raised certain queries on the nature of the agency’s investigation.

    In his written reply to the ED, the Delhi CM had said “As a premier investigating agency the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice. Your obstinacy is tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner at the same time which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law.”

    “In these circumstances, I urge you to respond to my earlier response and clarify the position so as to enable me to understand the real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called” he had added in his response.

    I hope this article meets your expectations. Here are some possible headlines for this article:

    Kejriwal snubs ED, says BJP wants to arrest him before polls
    BJP using ED to harass me and my party: Kejriwal
    ED summons a political conspiracy, says Kejriwal