Tag: Enforcement Directorate

  • BRS leader K Kavitha taken into custody, say reports

    Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) MLC K Kavitha was taken into custody on Friday evening. The development came hours after Income Tax Department (I-T) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted searches at her Hyderabad residence, according to media reports. Earlier on Friday, at least 10 officers from both agencies from New Delhi had conducted searches in the presence of Kavitha and her husband D Anil Kumar.

    It was not clear if the action is linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy linked case of the central agency in which the ED has questioned the BRS MLC and daughter of former Telangana chief minister Chandrashekar Rao, PTI reported citing official sources.

    The ED had claimed Kavitha was linked to a “South Group” lobby of liquor traders who were trying to play a larger role under the now scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.Reacting to the searches, BRS spokesperson Sravan Dasoju alleged that the raids were politically motivated and both BJP and Congress are hand-in-glove to harass leaders of the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led party.

    “Wherever ( Prime Minister Narendra) Modi goes ED and IT ( Income Tax) either precedes or succeeds. That is what is happening in Telangana. They want to create a panic situation in the BRS. The ED and IT which are working at the behest of BJP are not bothered about the Congress leaders of Telangana who have illegally obtained so much wealth,” the BRS leader told PTI.

    Sravan sought to know why the BJP is “tightlipped” on the cases against Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.“We believe in Satyameva Jayate. Let the truth prevail. We are not saying that IT and ED should not do their jobs, but the selectiveness is vindictiveness. Just before the elections, they are trying to do this mudslinging to dent the image of the BRS,” he added.The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that one of the accused in the case, Vijay Nair, received kickbacks to the tune of at least Rs 100 crore from the “South Group” (allegedly controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy) on behalf of leaders of the AAP.

    (With inputs from PTI)

  • Arvind Kejriwal Likely To Appear Before Delhi Court Today After Trust Vote Move |

    Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to appear before a court in connection with the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged Excise scam case. Delhi CM Kejriwal has already skipped five summons in the case following which the ED approached a city court against him. Kejriwal, who is also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief, is expected to present himself before a Delhi court to clarify his stand to skip the ED summons. 

    This comes amid the Delhi Assembly’s move to adopt the motion of confidence moved by the Chief Minister in a show of strength amid allegations that the BJP is trying to poach AAP MLAs by offering them Rs 25 crores each.

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    BJP का 2 दिन का राष्ट्रीय अधिवेशन, 400 पार का प्लान बनेगा ?

    देखिए LIVE @supreetanchor के साथ#ZeeLive #PMModi #BJP #Politics #Congress #RahulGandhi #FarmerProtest2024 https://t.co/NYf6SpTuCr
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    Speaking after presenting the motion of confidence in the Delhi Assembly yesterday, CM Kejriwal stated that two AAP MLAs informed him of BJP members approaching them, claiming that the Delhi chief minister would soon be arrested and these MLAs were offered Rs 25 crore to join the BJP. Kejriwal said that he brought the trust vote in the assembly to prove none of the AAP MLAs had defected.

    मेरे पास 2 MLA आये और उन्होंने बताया:

    BJP ने उन्हें कहा है कि आपके मुख्यमंत्री को हम कुछ दिन में गिरफ़्तार कर लेंगे, हमने 21 विधायकों से बात कर ली है

    उन्होंने 25-25 Crore का ऑफर दिया है और कहा है कि उन्हें अपनी पार्टी से चुनाव भी लड़वा देंगे

    इन्होंने कई बार Operation Lotus… pic.twitter.com/aJvsIPD0N9
    — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 16, 2024

    This move by Kejriwal comes ahead of the ED’s sixth summons scheduled for February 19. This marks the second occasion where the Arvind Kejriwal government seeks a trust vote. The Aam Aadmi Party holds 62 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, while the BJP has eight.

    Last week, the court summoned Kejriwal, emphasizing his legal obligation to comply. The ED has accused the Delhi chief minister of intentionally avoiding summons, with the AAP claiming that the summonses were illegal, and the agency’s objective is to arrest Kejriwal and make the Delhi government collapse by unfair means. The AAP leaders claimed that the BJP is deploying different techniques to gain power in Delhi as they cannot win against the Aam Aadmi Party in the national capital.

    The ongoing investigation involves allegations of liquor companies influencing the excise policy for a 12% profit, with the Enforcement Directorate alleging money laundering related to kickbacks. The BJP contends that AAP used the alleged scam proceeds to fund its Gujarat campaign, establishing itself as a national party.

  • Delhi Liquor Policy Case: ED moves court after Arvind Kejriwal skips 5th summons, hearing on Feb 7 – The Economic Times Video

    Enforcement Directorate has moved to Rouse Avenue Court and filed a complaint against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for not complying with the summons issued by the agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case. Court heard some submissions today and put up for February 7, for the remaining submissions and consideration.

  • Sanjay Singh involved in creating special purpose vehicle to launder proceeds of crime, says ED

    The Enforcement Directorate opposed the bail petition of Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh in Excise Policy case before Delhi High Court and alleged that he was involved in creating a special purpose vehicle to launder the proceeds of crime that would have been generated from the business arising out the policy changes as conspired by him and his co-conspirators.Sanjay Singh was then involved in acquiring, possessing, concealing, dissipating and using proceeds of crime generated from the Delhi Liquor Scam pertaining to the policy period of 2021-22, said ED.ED in its reply copy also stated that Sanjay Singh has been in possession of certain confidential documents pertaining to the investigation of this case which are not in public domain. During the search conducted at the premises of the accused Sanjay Singh on 04.10.2023, certain confidential documents which are print of images taken in the office of ED and the same are obtained illegally.Sanjay Singh is one of the key conspirators in the Delhi Liquor Scam. Sanjay Singh is closely associated with number of accused/suspects in this case.

    Singh has gained illegal money/kickbacks which is Proceeds of Crime generated from the liquor policy (2021-22) scam. Further, he has also played role in conspiracy with others in respect of Excise Policy 2020-21.

    Recently, Delhi High Court had sought response of Enforcement Directorate on regular bail plea moved by Aam Aadmi Party’s senior leader Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case related to alleged Delhi’s excise policy scam case. Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case on October 4, 2023.The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma is examining the bail plea of Sanjay Singh.Sanjay Singh through plea stated that he is neither an accused nor a suspect in a scheduled/predicate offence (CBI Offence), wherein, investigation is continuing since 17.8.2022 and despite 3 Charge-Sheets/ Supplementary Charge-Sheets having been filed, absolutely nothing has been surfaced against him till date.

    Bail Plea further stated that at the outset, the Applicant states that the Applicant is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing or any violation of the provisions of the PMLA in any manner whatsoever and therefore, the Applicant’s life and liberty must be protected from unwarranted and unjustified encroachment at the hands of the DoE on the basis of a false, malicious and motivated case without any merit.

    On December 22, 2023 the trial court had dismissed his bail and said, “the Court is of prima facie view that the case against him is genuine. Evidence shows his involvement in alleged offence of money laundering. There is reasonable grounds for believing that he is guilty of the alleged offence of money laundering.”

    Trial Court Judge expressed his prima facie view and said, “The evidence and material shows involvement of applicant in commission of the alleged offence of money laundering because he is shown to have been, directly or indirectly, involved in the process or activities connected with proceeds of crime generated through the scheduled offences case of CBI.”

    The trial court further had said, “The evidence and material is also sufficient to furnish this court reasonable grounds for believing that he is ‘guilty’ of the said offence in terms of provisions contained Under section 45 of the PMLA.

    It can be said that the conditions laid down by the section 45 for grant of bail are not satisfied.

  • As Hemant Soren Remains ‘Untraceable’, Section 144 Imposed Around His Residence, Raj Bhavan |

    RANCHI: With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tightening its noose around Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the state administration has imposed Section 144 under CrPc within 100 meters radius of his residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi on Tuesday. According to news agency ANI, the order will remain in force till 10 pm. During this period, any kind of protest or demonstration has been banned. “According to the information received, there is information about protests, demonstrations, rallies etc., by various organizations/parties. The possibility of such programs causing disruption in government work, disrupting traffic, creating law and order problems and disturbing public peace cannot be ruled out,” the order said.

     

    Section 144 CrPc imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/0A67WQykf5
    — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024

     

    This comes as the ED officials visited Soren’s Delhi home to question him in connection with a money laundering investigation.

    Will Record Statement Tomorrow: Soren

    Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Chief Minister, in a letter to the Enforcement Directorate, said he will record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday at his residence. While accepting to record his statement, the Jharkhand chief minister alleged that questioning him at this time was more political and was meant to disrupt the functioning of his government.

    “You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between 2nd and 29th February 2024 and the undersigned will be pre-occupied with preparations for the same apart from other prior scheduled official engagements,” the letter written by Soren to ED’s Ranchi office said.

    “In these circumstances, your insistence to record a further statement of the undersigned on or before 31 January 2024 reeks of malice and reveals your political agenda to disrupt the functioning of the State Government and prevent an elected representative of the people from discharging his official duties,” Soren’s letter to the ED said.

    ED Seizes Soren’s BMW Car

    On Monday, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials seized a luxury car belonging to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren from his Delhi residence late on Monday, in connection with the ongoing probe into a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Sources revealed that the BMW confiscated by the ED on Monday is believed to be acquired from the “proceeds of crime,” a significant development in the ongoing probe. Soren reportedly utilized this vehicle during his stays in the national capital, adding to the gravity of the seizure.

    Besides, the Enforcement Directorate team also recovered Rs 36 lakhs in cash from Soren’s Delhi residence, said sources.

     

    Section 144 CrPc imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/0A67WQykf5
    — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024

     

    Despite repeated summons, Soren has eluded interrogation, raising suspicions about his involvement in the case. He has notably ignored seven summons issued by the ED, with indications that he may contest them legally.

    Cat-And-Mouse Chase

    ED officials, determined to locate Soren, have scoured both Jharkhand Bhawan and his father’s residence, but to no avail. His chartered plane remained grounded at the Delhi Airport, further complicating the search. In a bid to counter the ED’s actions, Soren appears poised to challenge the ED summons in the Supreme Court, underscoring the escalating legal battle between the two parties.

    The Enforcement Directorate officials visited the residence of Soren in the national capital on Monday night for questioning him in connection with the alleged land scam case and said that the Jharkhand Chief Minister could not be located.

    What Are The Allegations Against Soren?

    The money laundering case, amounting to a staggering Rs 600 crore, alleges a widespread conspiracy involving the illicit transfer and sale of government land to developers. Notably, the ED has apprehended 14 individuals thus far, including high-ranking officials like IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan.

    Conspiracy By BJP: Soren

    However, Soren has vehemently denied the accusations, attributing them to a concerted effort to malign his reputation. He has rallied support from his party members, vowing to confront the purported conspirators head-on.

    Political Turmoil In Jharkhand

    The Jharkhand BJP has seized upon the situation, accusing Soren of evading authorities and undermining the state’s integrity. The BJP has now alleged that Soren has “gone missing.” “Today, the honour and respect of the people of Jharkhand were destroyed by our Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji, just by going missing,” BJP parliamentarian from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, wrote on his X timeline. Reports about Soren’s alleged escape from his Delhi residence shrouded in secrecy and speculation, have further fuelled the controversy surrounding his involvement in the case. 

  • ED summons Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal again on January 18

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has again issued summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to appear before the agency on January 18.

    This is the fourth time Kejriwal has been summoned by the federal agency in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe into the Delhi Excise policy alleged scandal. Kejriwal was earlier summoned thrice by ED but he had previously declined to appear citing prior engagements linked to the now-concluded assembly elections.

    He was then asked to appear on December 21 and January 3 but Kejriwal skipped the summons calling them “politically motivated and illegal”. In February a local Court had taken cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money laundering probe into the Delhi government’s now-scrapped liquor policy.

    The federal agency has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) used the money raised from the Delhi liquor scam to fund the Goa election campaign.

    “Investigation of the trail of this kickback so far has revealed that part of these funds was used in the election campaign of the AAP,” the agency had alleged in its supplementary chargesheet.The charge sheet had mentioned an alleged call between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Indospirits owner Sameer Mahendru, an accused in the case, wherein Kejriwal allegedly asked him to carry on working with AAP communication’s incharge Vijay Nair.The agency had alleged in its charge sheet that Nair had arranged a meeting between Sameer Mahendru and Kejriwal over facetime where Kejriwal allegedly told the former that “Vijay is his boy and that Sameer should trust him and carry on with him.” Kejriwal, however, had described the allegations as “fiction”.

  • Magnitude Of PDS Scam In West Bengal ‘Enormous’, Likely To Be Around Rs 10,000 Cr: ED |

    KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday made startling revelations, saying that the magnitude of the alleged Public Distribution System (PDS) scam in West Bengal is enormous and its investigation points to a massive scale of corruption. The central agency while claiming that the investigation carried out so far has unveiled the colossal magnitude of the scam said that the proceeds of crime transferred by a suspect are likely to be between Rs 9,000 – 10,000 Crore. Notably, a substantial amount, around Rs 2,000 Crore, is suspected to have been illicitly transferred to Dubai, either directly or through Bangladesh, the agency added.

    “The investigation carried out so far indicates that the magnitude of the scam is enormous, and the proceeds of crime received and further transferred and layered by one suspected person itself are suspected to be at least to the tune of Rs 9,000 – 10,000 Crore and out of that, Rs 2000 Crore were also suspected to be transferred to Dubai either directly or through Bangladesh,” the agency said according to ANI.

     

    On the alleged PDS scam in West Bengal, the Enforcement Directorate says, “The investigation carried out so far indicates that the magnitude of the scam is enormous, and the proceeds of crime received and further transferred and layered by one suspected person itself are…


    — ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2024

     

    Trinamool Congress Leader Remanded To ED Custody

    Shankar Adhya, a prominent leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), who is at the centre of the alleged multi-crore scam in West Bengal, has been remanded to Enforcement Directorate custody for 14 days. He was arrested by the agency following ED searches at properties linked to him and his family members.

    Allegations Of Widespread Corruption

    During the court hearing, the ED asserted that the ration distribution scam involved widespread corruption amounting to at least Rs 10,000 crore. Shockingly, the probe agency revealed that a significant portion of this sum, nearly Rs 2,000 crore, was siphoned off to Dubai through Adhya’s company. The Enforcement Directorate disclosed that Shankar Adhya’s involvement surfaced through a letter from the arrested former Food Minister, Jyotipriya Mallick, who is also implicated in the ration corruption case.

    Foreign Exchange Firms Linked To Adhya Identified

    In response to queries from the court, the ED unveiled that as many as 90 foreign exchange firms connected to Adhya had been identified. Approximately Rs 2,000 crore was allegedly exchanged and sent abroad through these firms, primarily situated in border areas. The ED raised concerns in court about the potential misuse of these funds, questioning the likelihood of “anti-national activities.”

    Attack On ED After Adhya’s Arrest

    Following the arrest of Shankar Adhya, his supporters reportedly attempted to obstruct ED officials from taking him into custody. The situation escalated as supporters, led by women, tried to impede the officers, even resorting to stone-throwing. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel accompanying the ED officials intervened to bring the situation under control.

    This incident marked the second attack on the agency, reminiscent of the one in Sandeshkhali in the neighbouring South 24 Parganas district during a raid at the residence of TMC leader Sahajahan Sheikh in the same case. The challenges faced by the ED highlight the gravity of the allegations and the tense atmosphere surrounding the unfolding investigation.

  • Arvind Kejriwal-ED row: Political leaders react to Delhi CM's claim of BJP vendetta

    Arvind Kejriwal-ED row: Political leaders react to Delhi CM's claim of BJP vendetta

  • Kejriwal: Be it Arvind Kejriwal or Hemant Soren, every corrupt leader will be punished: BJP

    New Delhi, The BJP on Wednesday assailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren for repeatedly skipping the ED summons and asserted that every “corrupt leader” will be “punished” for their misdeeds under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule. The party also questioned why Kejriwal did not approach the courts if he felt the action against him was politically motivated.

    “Gone are the days when corrupt leaders used to rule over the honest citizenry of the country. The only place for the corrupt leaders is behind bars and it is our firm resolve that every corrupt leader will be punished as per law,” BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has zero tolerance for corruption and the probe agencies have been given a “free hand” to work independently and take action against graft without any bias, the BJP leader stressed. Bhatia said that leaders will have to face the “consequences of their misdeeds and corruption” they have indulged in, “be it Kejriwal, Soren or anyone else”.

    “Such dramas will not help because Kejriwal knows that handcuffs are coming closer to him,” he alleged at a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.

    The “power of law” and the people’s faith are with the central probe agencies, he said. The BJP’s reaction came after AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal skipped the third summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case and sent a written reply calling the notice illegal. Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Soren has also skipped as many as seven summons issued by the ED in a money laundering case.

    “Outright dishonest and sinister Arvind Kejriwal is shaking in fear and making one after another lame excuse to skip ED summons,” Bhatia claimed

    “It won’t be wrong to say that Kejriwal is afraid today because he knows that his arrest is imminent, he is aware that he is the kingpin and has no answers (to ED’s questions). That’s why he is trying to evade the process of law,” the BJP spokesperson told reporters at a press conference at the party headquarters.

    The BJP leader said it would have never happened in the history of independent India that someone “ordered” a probe agency to withdraw its summons.

    “But a corrupt and sinister Arvind Kejriwal tells ED to withdraw its summons. Mr Arvind Kejriwal, you are not above the law,” he charged, saying it is the right of the probe agencies to take action against corruption “as per evidence”.

    Bhatia contended that if Kejriwal felt that the ED had issued summons to him out of any alleged “political vendetta”, he should have approached the court seeking relief.

    “Why didn’t he approach court so far if the ED’s summonses are politically motivated? He is not able to muster the courage (to approach court) because he knows the truth that he is the kingpin of the liquor scam,” Bhatia further said.

    Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, arrested in connection with the case earlier, were just his “puppets”, he said.

    Kejriwal, who once used to talk about eradicating corruption in India, has himself become a “corrupt termite” in politics, and he has a misconception that he is above the law, Bhatia alleged.

    “Arvind Kejriwal, you have mastered the art of deceit, corruption and propaganda and this has become synonymous with you,” he charged.

    On AAP’s allegation that the BJP-led Centre is hatching a conspiracy to arrest Kejriwal to stop him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, Bhatia said probe agencies are “honestly biting corrupts like eagles, seeking from them details of people’s hard-earned money”.

    “If you have not done any dishonesty, what is there to be scared of… Kejriwal should have appeared before the ED and answered its questions,” the BJP leader said, asking the AAP national convenor to “let the truth come out”.

    Bhatia also targeted the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, questioning their “silence” on the issue of corruption, and slammed Soren, whose party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is one of the constituents of the opposition alliance, for skipping the ED’s summons.

    “Hemant Soren evading the summons clearly reveals the same mindset that I have just discussed in the case of Arvind Kejriwal that first you loot, indulge in corruption and then when questions are asked and you are made accountable for your misdeeds and corruption, you evade the summons,” the BJP leader said.

    Referring to media reports claiming that Soren plans to step down as Jharkhand chief minister and install his wife Kalpana Soren as his successor in view of his “imminent arrest”, Bhatia said, “They (JMM) are preparing for the consequences of an arrest that could be made by the investigative agency as it comes under its domain.

    “But who have they selected (to replace Soren)? It’s again someone from his own family. All this is media speculation but it reveals the dynastic mindset (of the JMM leadership),” the BJP spokesperson said.

    “The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have always said that INDI alliance is synonymous with corruption. Their leaders are either in jail or on bail. And it is so because an honest government has given a free hand to the probe agencies so that they are not scared of anyone,” Bhatia said.

    “I would only say with full confidence that no corrupt (person) is above the law and no corrupt (person) will survive,” he said.

    Those who have committed corruption will be in jail no matter how many excuses they make. Their right place is behind bars, the BJP spokesperson said.

  • Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Skip `Illegal` ED Summons

    CM Soren was first summoned by the ED earlier in mid-August in connection with a land ‘scam’ case.