News Analysis India

Tag: Enforcement Directorate

  • Deposit Rs 14.40 lakh; ED sends reminder to separatist SAS Geelani

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate sent a reminder to pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to deposit a penalty of Rs 14.40 lakh levied on him in a 19-year-old case of illegal possession of USD 10,000 in alleged contravention of the foreign exchange law, officials said on Wednesday.

    The reminder was sent to Geelaniin a case in which foreign currency, equalling about Rs 6.90 lakh, was also confiscated by the agency as part of an order issued under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

    The foreign currency was seized during an Income Tax raid at Geelani’s residence in Srinagar’s Hyderpora area in 2002.

    The case against Geelani, 91, was adjudicated, and penalty and confiscation order issued in 2019 by a special director of the agency, who is entrusted to adjudicate the FEMA cases.

    Since the amount had not been submitted so far, the ED sent a reminder to Geelani, former chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, asking him to pay the amount at the earliest.

    The ED took up the case after taking cognisance of the Income Tax report and also issued summons to Geelani to appear before it in Srinagar.

    Geelani’s counsel had then submitted a written reply and “denied” the recovery of foreign currency from his residence and the subsequent seizure.

    Under the FEMA, foreign exchange dealings are regulated in India and acquisition and possession of foreign exchange by resident Indians are required to be conducted in accordance with the general or special permission.

    “Geelani did not have any such permission or bona fide explanation for acquisition and possession of the foreign currency.”

    “Therefore, he has been asked to show cause to the adjudicating officer under FEMA within 30 days as to why the recovered currency should not be confiscated and penalty imposed on him,” the agency had said earlier.

  • Case details not shared, Mehbooba’s mother skips appearance before ED: Sources

    They said the mother of the PDP chief has only been told that her appearance before the ED is required in a case lodged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

  • NIA court allows ED to record Sachin Waze’s statement in money laundering case against Anil Deshmukh

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) obtained National Investigation Agency (NIA) court’s permission to record suspended Mumbai Police Officer Sachin Waze’s statement in a money laundering case against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh at Taloja prison tomorrow.

    ED officers have confirmed that a team will visit Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai to record Waze’s statement tomorrow.

    The probe agency had earlier informed the court that various bar owners were called by it for a statement and they had categorically said that they paid Rs 40 lakh to Sachin Waze as Good luck Money in December 2020 when Waze was Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) head.

    ED had told the court that the bar owners paid Rs 1.64 crore and Rs 2.66 crore to Mumbai Police’s Zone 1 to 7 and Zone 8 to 12.

    “Sachin Waze told bar owners that money will go to so and so. Sachin Waze has also accepted that he has collected Rs 4.77 crore between December 2020 and February 2021 and handed over the money to Kundan Shinde. Two police officers’ statements were recorded and they said that Palande was also given money. Sachin Waze also verified this statement of police officers about Palande,” ED’s lawyer had told the court.

    The case against the former Home Minister was registered on May 11.

    NIA arrested Waze in March in connection with the investigation into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani’s house in Mumbai.

    Waze is the prime accused in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilia in Mumbai on February 25.

    Waze was also accused of the murder of Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the vehicle that was found containing explosives materials outside Antilia.Hiren was found dead on March 5 in Thane.

    Waze, former Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), was later transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police Headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiren’s death case.

    Waze was dismissed from service in May 2021. 

  • Conspiracy to defame me: Ex-Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse on ED probe against him

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned NCP leader Eknath Khadse for nine hours about a case related to a  Pune land deal on Thursday. Khadse reached the ED office after a summons was issued to appear before the agency. Earlier Khadse’s son-in-law Girish Chaudhari was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case in Pune.

    Chaudhari and Khadse’s wife Mandatai had purchased government land in Bhosari near Pune for Rs 3 crore whereas the actual value was Rs 31 crore, the ED said, adding that the land deal was allegedly routed through four shell companies. The agency is probing the sources of the funds used to buy the land and also the undervaluation of the deal. 

    Khadse’s lawyer said that his client told the ED that he has nothing to do with the Pune land. “The land was not purchased by him. Besides, as an erstwhile revenue minister also, it was not his subject so there was no violation done by him as minister. The ED had asked for some documents that will be provided in the next 10 days and as and when ED asks his personal appearance, Khadse will appear before them,” he said.

    Before reaching the ED office, Khadse termed the probe as ‘politically motivated’ saying the central agency was targeting him and his family members deliberately after his induction in the NCP. “A probe was earlier conducted by a commission, which gave a clean chit. Despite this, the ED is probing the case. It shows there is some political agenda behind it. However, the truth will come out.” 

    NCP minister Jayant Patil claimed that the ED inquiry is a farce. “In the earlier probe, nothing wrong was found out. We are confident that Khadse has not done anything wrong. BJP is against the OBC leaders therefore they are targeting Khadse,” the NCP state president alleged.

  • NIA court allows Enforcement Directorate to quiz Sachin Waze in Anil Deshmukh case

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A special court here on Thursday allowed the Enforcement Directorate to question dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze in an alleged money-laundering case registered against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.

    Waze was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in March in the case of explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai, and the subsequent murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    He is now in judicial custody.

    The ED has been allowed to question Waze for three days at Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai where he is lodged, a defence lawyer said.

    The ED has so far arrested two aides of Deshmukh — his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde — in the money-laundering case against the NCP leader.

    The central agency claimed that the arrested duo confessed that Waze had collected Rs 4.70 crore from orchestra bar owners in Mumbai and handed it to Shinde in two installments.

    While seeking permission from the special NIA court to quiz Waze, the ED said it wanted to confront Palande and Shinde with the former assistant police inspector of the crime branch.

    IPS officer Param Bir Singh, after he was removed from the post of Mumbai police commissioner in the aftermath of Waze’s arrest, had alleged in a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh, then home minister, had asked Waze to collect over Rs 100 crore per month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

    Deshmukh denied the charge.

    The ED case followed after the CBI registered a case against Deshmukh on the orders of the Bombay High Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

  • Eknath Khadse’s son-in-law sent to Enforcement Directorate custody till July 12 in money laundering case

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A special court here on Wednesday remanded NCP leader Eknath Khadse’s son-in-law Girish Chaudhary in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody till July 12 in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 purchase of a land plot in Pune.

    The ED told the court that the probe shows that the source of funds used for the purchase of land was “not genuine” and the money was routed through various companies, which it said were “shell companies”.

    Chaudhary was arrested by the ED on Tuesday night after being questioned at length in connection with the case at the central investigative agency’s office in south Mumbai.

    He was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, which remanded him in the agency’s custody for further probe.

    The ED has alleged that Chaudhary and Khadse had purchased government land in Bhosari near Pune for Rs 3.75 crore when the actual cost of the land as per the valuation provided by the sub registrar was Rs 31.01 crore.

    The agency said it appears that Khadse, the then revenue minister, by misusing his official position, had “coerced and forced” the officials concerned to facilitate the purchase of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) land by his family in Bhosari.

    In his statement to the ED, Chaudhary has said that he and his mother-in-law purchased the land for Rs 3.75 crore.

    However, when asked about the real value of land, he remained evasive, the probe agency told the court.

    The ED further said the probe shows that the source of funds for the purchase of land is “not genuine” and the money has been routed through various companies.

    The companies which are used by Chaudhary to channel funds for purchase of the land are nothing but shell companies used by the accused for layering of funds, it said.

    The probe agency sought his custody to “unearth the proceeds of the crime, the sources of the funds used to buy the land and its utilisation.

    Opposing the remand plea, Chaudhary’s lawyer Mohan Tekavde said the accused was being targeted due to political vendetta.

    He argued that there is no evasion of even a single penny and the land doesn’t belong to the MIDC as claimed by the ED.

    There is a personal vendetta because of political rivalry of Khadse.

    There is no case against Chaudhary.

    He has been arrested to corner Khadse, the advocate added.

    The special court judge S M Bhosle, after hearing both the sides, remanded the accused to the custody of ED till July 12.

    Khadse, 68, had left the BJP to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar last year.

    He was questioned in the case by the ED early this year.

    Khadse had resigned from the then Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra cabinet in 2016 after facing allegations regarding the same land deal.

    He denied any wrongdoing, saying that the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) as well as the Income Tax department had given him a clean chit in the matter.

  • ED arrests NCP leader Khadse’s son-in-law in money laundering case

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested NCP leader Eknath Khadse’s son-in-law Girish Chaudhary in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 purchase of a land plot in Pune, officials said on Wednesday.

    They said Chaudhary was arrested on Tuesday night after he was questioned at length in the case at the office of the central investigative agency in south Mumbai.

    The officials alleged that Chaudhary was not cooperative during the questioning.

    He is expected to be produced before a special court that tries cases registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    Reports: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the NCP leader Eknath Khadse’s son-in-law Girish Chaudhary in connection with the Pune MIDC land deal case. Yesterday, Girish Chaudhari was questioned till late night by @dir_ed @NewIndianXpress@Sunday_Standard
    — Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) July 7, 2021

    Khadse, 68, had left the BJP to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of former Maharashtra chief minister Sharad Pawar last year.

    He was questioned in the case by the ED early this year.

    Khadse, 68, had resigned from the then Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra cabinet in 2016 after facing allegations regarding the same land deal.

    It was alleged that he misused his official powers to facilitate the purchase of government land of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) by his family in the Bhosari area of Pune.

    He denied any wrongdoing, saying that the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau as well as the Income Tax department had given him a clean chit in the matter.

  • PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s mother summoned by ED for questioning in money laundering case

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the mother of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti for questioning in a money laundering case on July 14, officials said on Tuesday.

    They said Gulshan Nazir, in her late seventies, has been asked to appear before the central probe agency at its office in Srinagar.

    Mehbooba (62), expressed surprise that the notice was served on her mother on the day her People’s Democratic Party (PDP) decided not to meet the Delimitation Commission, set up to redraw Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Posting the summons on her official Twitter handle, Mehbooba said, “ED sent a summon to my mother to appear in person for unknown charges. In its attempts to intimidate political opponents, GOI (Government of India) doesn’t even spare senior citizens. Agencies like NIA (National Investigation Agency) and ED are now its tools to settle scores.”

    Nazir is the wife of the late Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

  • Delhi HC extends interim protection to Newsclick founder in money laundering case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday extended the interim protection from coercive action granted to news portal Newsclick and its editor-in-chief in connection with a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

    Justice Mukta Gupta also issued notice and sought ED’s response on a plea by Newsclick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha seeking anticipatory bail in the PMLA case. The high court noted that a copy of Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered by the ED in the case has not been provided to the petitioners yet.

    “Interim order to continue till the next date of hearing,” the court said while posting the matter for July 29.

    The ED has taken cognisance of a Delhi Police FIR to initiate a money laundering probe and conducted searches on the premises of a digital news platform and several other places in connection with the money received from overseas.

    Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the news portal and its founder, submitted that till date they have not received the copy of ECIR by the ED, as it was assured earlier. The petitioners were also represented through senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and lawyer Arshdeep Singh.

    Advocate Amit Mahajan, representing the ED, submitted that Purkayastha had appeared before the agency for investigation once and had sought 10 days’ time to bring certain documents. However, thereafter he did not appear and said that their petition is pending in the high court, he said.

    When the court asked why the agency has not yet supplied the ECIR copy to the petitioners, the counsel said ED was waiting for him to appear before it where it would provide the ECIR copy. Mahajan also said the agency has filed an application seeking to dispose of the petition for supply of ECIR copy as they will provide the document.

    He also said the agency will issue fresh summons to Purkayastha to join the investigation. To this, the judge orally said, “So when you issue summons, also give the copy of ECIR to him.”

    The company, through another petition, has already sought quashing of the FIR lodged by Delhi Police on the allegations of foreign funding on the ground that it does not disclose any cognisable offences as alleged.

    The allegations in the FIR are that the petitioner company PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of Rs 9.59 crore from Worldwide Media Holdings LLC USA during the financial year 2018-19.

    It was alleged that the investment was made by greatly overvaluing the shares of the petitioner company to avoid the alleged cap of 26 per cent of FDI in a digital news website.

    It was further alleged that over 45 per cent of this investment was diverted/siphoned off for the payment of salary/consultancy, rent and other expenses, which payments are alleged to have been made for ulterior motives.

    Therefore, it was alleged that the company has violated the FDI and other laws of the country and has caused a loss to the government exchequer. The petition seeking quashing of the Delhi Police FIR is already listed for hearing on July 29.

    The high court had on June 21 directed the ED not to take coercive action against the news portal and its editor-in-chief in connection with the case. It had issued notice to the ED on the portal’s plea seeking a copy of the ECIR lodged by it in the case.

  • Assets of Ahmed Patel’s son-in-law, Dino Morea, DJ Aqeel attached under PMLA

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s son-in-law, actors Dino Morea and Sanjay Khan, and DJ Aqeel in a money laundering case involving Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company Sterling Biotech group.

    It said a provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the assets of the four people which are worth Rs 8.79 crore.

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    Out of this, the value of attachment of assets for Khan is Rs 3 crore, for Dino Morea it is Rs 1.4 crore, for Aqeel Abdulkhalil Bachooali, popularly known as DJ Aqeel, it is Rs 1.98 crore and for Irfan Ahmed Siddiqui, who is Patel’s son-in-law, it is Rs 2.41 crore, the central probe agency said in a statement.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said that Nitin Sandesara and Chetan Sandesara, absconding promoters of the Sterling Biotech group, have “diverted” proceeds of crime to the four people.

    The promoter brothers Nitin Sandesara, Chetan Sandesara, Chetan’s wife Dipti Sandesara and Hitesh Patel have been declared fugitive economic offenders by a special court, it said.

    The money-laundering case pertains to the alleged Rs 14,500-crore bank-loan fraud said to have been perpetrated by Sterling Biotech and its main promoters and directors.