News Analysis India

Tag: Enforcement Directorate

  • Two days before raids on Deshmukh, ED recorded statement of sacked cop Waze in jail

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recorded the statement of dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze in connection with a money laundering case filed against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, an official said on Friday.

    A two-member team of the ED recorded the statement of Waze at the Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday (June 23), the official said.

    Waze is lodged in the jail under judicial custody after arrest in the sensational Antilia security scare-Mansukh Hiran murder case.

    The state prison department had given access to ED officials to record Waze’s statement in the jail, he said.

    Two days after questioning Waze, the ED on Friday conducted searches at the premises of Deshmukh and his associates in Nagpur and Mumbai as part of a money laundering probe against the politician on Rs 100 crore bribery charges, officials said in Delhi.

    The ED is probing the PMLA case based on an FIR registered by the CBI against the NCP leader, who faces allegations of corruption and misconduct.

    The FIR was registered following a Bombay High Court order in April after corruption allegations were levelled against Deshmukh by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

    In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he was removed from the Police Commissioner’s post, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked Waze and other police officials to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants of Mumbai.

    Deshmukh, who resigned from the state cabinet after the HC order, has repeatedly denied Singh’s allegations.

    “Singh levelled false allegations against me after he was shunted out (from the post of Mumbai police chief in March). The CBI investigating the case and I will cooperate,” the NCP leader said on Friday.

    The ED case came about after the CBI first carried out a preliminary enquiry followed by filing a regular case on the orders of the High Court that asked it to look into the allegations of bribery made against Deshmukh by Singh.

    Officials said the search teams are looking for additional evidence that can be important for their probe.

    The teams are trying to gather evidence and record statements to substantiate the claims made by about 10 bar owners to the ED that they paid about Rs 4 crore “bribe” in cash that was allegedly handed over to the former home minister, the said.

    Deshmukh said he extended full cooperation to ED officials who visited him during the searches and hoped “the truth will come out”.

    The ED conducted searches at the premises linked to Deshmukh in Nagpur and his associates in Mumbai as part of a money laundering probe against the politician on Rs 100 crore bribery charges, officials said.

    They said the raids were carried out under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the locations include Deshmukh’s residence at GPO Chowk in Nagpur and that of his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde in Mumbai.

    Palande was brought to the ED’s office in Mumbai in the afternoon for inquiry in connection with the case, sources said.

    Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Deshmukh said he would continue to cooperate with investigate agencies in future too and expressed confidence that “the truth will come out”.

    Deshmukh claimed former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had levelled false allegations of corruption and misconduct against him after his removal from the post in March.

    “Singh was removed from the post due to his suspicious role in placing an explosives-laden SUV outside Mukesh Ambani residence. All the five police officials from the CIU (crime intelligence unit) arrested in the case reported to Param Bir Singh directly. The NIA is investigating the case,” the NCP leader said.

    “Singh levelled false allegations against me after he was shunted out. The CBI is investigating the case and I will cooperate,” he said.

    Deshmukh came to his flat in ‘Sukhada’ building at Worli in Central Mumbai when ED searches were on, sources said.

    He was present the flat with ED officials and a team of forensic experts, the sources said.

    The ED had registered a criminal case under the PMLA against Deshmukh and others last month after studying a CBI FIR.

    The ED case came about after the CBI first carried out a preliminary enquiry followed by filing a regular case on the orders of the HC that asked it to look into the allegations of bribery made against Deshmukh by Singh.

    The NCP, which is part of the Shiv Sena-led ruling alliance in Maharashtra, said nothing has come out against Deshmukh so far.

    There was an attempt to harass Deshmukh out of “frustration” as the investigation against him and his family has not revealed anything, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said.

    “Earlier some (Central) agencies had showered loving attention on the businesses of his son. As far as I know, they did not find anything. So out of frustration, there is an attempt to see if he (Anil Deshmukh) can be harassed in any other way,” Pawar told reporters in Pune.

    The NCP president said such things are not happening for the first time.

    “All these things are not new to us. Anil Deshmukh is not the first (to face such action). A new trend of using power has been shown by those who are in power. There is no need to talk about that issue anymore. We are not at all worried about it,” Pawar said.

    An ED team of five officers, including a woman, arrived Deshmukh’s residence at GPO square in Civil Lines in Nagpur at 8 am with a team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), police officials said.

    Searches at the residence lasted for almost nine hours.

    Deshmukh’s wife son Salil and and wife of their younger son Hrishikesh were present at the Nagpur residence, they said.

    Local NCP workers, led by Nagpur city unit chief Duneshwar Pethe, staged a protest against the ED action at 12 noon near the residence of Deshmukh.

    They were put into a van and taken to a police station.

    Later, another group of NCP workers from Nagpur Rural, led by former ZP vice-president Chandrashekhar Chikhale, protested against the ED at Deshmukh’s residence.

    The workers raised slogans when the ED team was going back after concluding their searches.

    Meanwhile, the BJP said investigation against Deshmukh was going on as per a HC order and rejected suggestions that ED searches at his premises were politically motivated.

    The opposition party in the state also hit out at its former ally Shiv Sena, heading the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, for linking the ED action against the NCP leader with the BJP.

    BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said it was wrong to attribute political motive to the ED action against the former home minister.

    Fadnavis, speaking to the media at the Nagpur airport, said, “All these inquiries are going on as per direction of the high court. There is no reason to find any political motive in them. We feel that agencies are working as directed by the HC.”

    Asked about NCP MP Supriya Sule’s comments linking the ED searches to Emergency, Fadnavis said she has no experience of the 1975-77 era characterised by press censorship and suspension of civil liberties.

    “Supriya Sule has not seen Emergency as she was a child at that time. even I was a child. She has not experienced Emergency. but we have experienced Emergency.

    “My father was in jail for 21 months without any charge, there were several others like him, lakhs of people. George Fernandes (socialist leader and former Union minister) had to sleep on ice slab. What do you know about Emergency? It is wrong to link a HC-directed investigation with Emergency,” the former CM said.

    In Mumbai, another BJP leader, Pravin Darekar, hit out at Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut for linking ED raids on Deshmukh with the BJP.

    The Leader of Opposition in the council said if Deshmukh has not done anything wrong, he should not be afraid.

    In a statement issued to the media, Darekar said, “Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut is wrongly suggesting that the ED searches were carried out on orders of the BJP. If Anil Deshmukh has done nothing (wrong), he should not be afraid.

    “CBI officials carried out a raid on April 21 at the house of Anil Deshmukh in Nagpur. As he is under investigation, the ED also carried out raids at his residence in Mumbai. The more you try to politicise such routine procedures, the more Deshmukh and the MVA government would come under suspicion,” he said.

    The ED and other investigating agencies have carried out raids in the past as well, but nobody then linked those raids with the then government, Darekar said.

  • ED attaches helicopter, 100 land parcels in Mumbai in PMLA case against Unitech group

    By PTI
    NEW DLEHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached a helicopter and over 100 land parcels in Mumbai worth a total of Rs 81 crore in connection with a money-laundering probe against realty firm Unitech Group, the agency said on Wednesday.

    It said a provisional order for attachment of these properties owned by the Shivalik Group and its associates has been issued under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The total value of the helicopter, owned by King Rotors Air Charters Pvt Limited, and the 101 land parcels located in Mumbai’s Santa Cruz area is Rs 81.10 crore, the ED said in a statement.

    The action has been taken “in relation to the investigation being conducted against Unitech Group”, the probe agency said.

    While the plots of land are owned by the Shivalik Group, the company that owns the chopper is its associate firm, it said.

    The probe has “revealed that Unitech Group had diverted proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 574 crore to Shivalik Group and, in turn, the entities of Shivalik Group purchased the said land parcels and helicopter from these proceeds of crime,” the ED alleged.

    The Enforcement Directorate, early this year, filed a criminal case under various sections of the PMLA against the Unitech Group and its promoters over allegations that the owners — Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra — illegally diverted over Rs 2,000 crore to Cyprus and Cayman Island.

    The case was booked after the ED studied some FIRs filed by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against these promoters and the company, including an instance where they allegedly failed to complete a housing project on time in Gurgaon.

    On March 4, the ED also carried out raids at 35 locations of the Shivalik Group, Trikar Group, Unitech Group and Carnoustie Group in Mumbai and at the national capital region after the registration of the case.

    “After analysis of the seized records followed by the disclosures of various persons, the above diversion of proceeds of crime has been unearthed,” it alleged.

    The total attachment in this case now stands at Rs 431 crore as two similar orders were earlier issued that froze assets worth Rs 349.82 crore.

  • Kashmiri separatist leader Shabbir Shah’s Pakistan funding under probe: ED tells court

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Kashmiri separatist leader Shabbir Shah was involved in generating huge proceeds of crime from Pakistan and other countries to create unrest in the Valley, the Enforcement Directorate told a Delhi court on Tuesday.

    The ED made the submissions before Special Judge Dharmender Rana while opposing his bail application in a money laundering case which was adjourned for June 29. The agency told the court that Shah amassed huge wealth in the form of immovable and movable properties. 

    “Shabbir Shah was also involved in terror financing activities as terrorists need money to sustain themselves. Money laundering is the method by which criminals disguise the illegal origins of their wealth and protect their asset bases, so as to avoid the suspicion of law enforcement agencies and prevent leaving a trail of incriminating evidence,” the agency said.

    The ED said that Shah was in regular touch with Hafiz Sayeed, chief of banned terrorist outfit Jamat-Ud-Dawa (JuD), based in Pakistan. “Shah was also in touch with one Mohd Shafi Shayar, who belongs to Kashmir and had escaped to Pakistan along with his family after his release from Central Jail Jammu,” it said.

    The agency claimed that there were serious allegations against the applicant and further investigation in the matter was going on. Shah had moved bail application, claiming there was no likelihood of the trial being completed any time soon in the case due to the pandemic. 

  • ED arrests RJD MP Amarendra Dhari in money laundering case linked to fertiliser scam

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested RJD Rajya Sabha MP Amarendra Dhari Singh in connection with a money laundering case probe linked to an alleged fertiliser scam, officials said on Thursday.

    They said the Member of Parliament (MP) and businessman has been arrested under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The case pertains to an alleged fertiliser scam linked to the IFFCO and India Potash Limited (IPL), in which the CBI had registered a corruption case last month.

    Dhari is stated to be the senior vice president of a firm involved in the case, identified as Jyoti Trading Corporation.

  • ED records statement of lawyer in case against Anil Deshmukh; CBI says HC order does not curtail probe against NCP leader

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday recorded a statement of advocate Jayshree Patil in connection with a money laundering case registered against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, sources said.

    The agency had summoned Patil on Tuesday, and accordingly she appeared around 11 am at the ED office here where her statement was recorded for around four hours, they said.

    Patil, who had earlier moved the Bombay High Court seeking CBI probe against Deshmukh, also submitted some documentary evidence to the ED, sources said.

    The ED registered a case against Deshmukh, an NCP leader, on the basis of a case registered against him by the CBI over allegations of bribery levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

    Meanwhile, the CBI on Wednesday contended in the Bombay High Court that there were no constraints on the agency regarding the scope of its investigation against Deshmukh.

    The Maharashtra government has moved the court, seeking a direction to the CBI not to carry out any investigation with regard to two “unnumbered paragraphs” in the FIR lodged by the agency on April 21 against Deshmukh.

    The CBI had lodged the FIR after conducting a preliminary enquiry following an order from the HC on April 5.

    One of these paragraphs stated that the central agency in its Preliminary Enquiry (PE) found that Deshmukh was aware of the reinstatement of assistant police inspector Sachin Waze (now dismissed) into the police force and sensitive cases being given to Waze for investigation.

    Waze is presently behind bars after being arrested by the NIA for his alleged role in the Ambani house bomb scare case and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    The second paragraph stated that Deshmukh and others exercised “undue influence” over the transfer and postings of police officers, as alleged by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

    The state government claimed that these two allegations were not covered by the April 5 high court order.

    Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for CBI, on Wednesday told a division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and S P Tavade that the April 5 order did not impose any constraints on the agency.

    “The high court in its order has said the agency shall conduct a preliminary enquiry within a period of 15 days and then decide the further course of action as per law,” Raju said.

    Senior counsel Rafiq Dada, appearing for the Maharashtra government, argued that the CBI went beyond the HC order.

    Dada argued that the CBI has also sought documents related to a letter sent by IPS officer Rashmi Shukla.

    “This (Shukla’s letter about alleged phone tapping) has got nothing to do with the present case (corruption charge against Deshmukh),” Dada argued.

    The bench posted the matter for further hearing on May 21.

  • More trouble for Anil Deshmukh as ED files case against former Maharashtra Home Minister

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a criminal case under the anti-money laundering law against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged “bribery” case, official sources said on Tuesday.

    They said the case registered under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been filed after studying a CBI FIR that was filed against Deshmukh late last month.

    The central probe agency may now summon Deshmukh, 71, for questioning apart from others who have a role in the case, they said.

    The ED case comes about after the CBI first carried out a preliminary enquiry, followed by filing a regular case, on the orders of the Bombay High Court that asked it to look into the allegations of bribery made against Deshmukh by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

    The agency will probe if illicit funds were generated in the transfer and posting of police personnel in Maharashtra and if illegal extortion was done by the cops as alleged by Singh in his complaint.

    The agency has powers to attach assets of the accused during the investigation stage and later file charge sheets against them before a PMLA court for trial.

    Singh was shunted out from the prime post after the role of policeman Sachin Waze surfaced during investigation of the explosive-laden SUV that was found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house in Mumbai.

    In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, after he was removed from the Police Commissioner’s post, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants of Mumbai.

    NCP leader Deshmukh was the home minister of the state in the MVA government headed by Thackeray.

    The CBI booked Deshmukh and others under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy and section of Prevention of Corruption Act for “attempt to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of public duty”.

    “The preliminary enquiry prima facie revealed that a cognisable offence is made out in the matter, wherein the then home minister of Maharashtra, Shri Anil Deshmukh and unknown others have attempted to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of their public duty,” the CBI FIR had alleged.

    The CBI enquiry found Waze, assistant inspector of Mumbai police, had been reinstated into the police force after being out of service for more than 15 years.

    Waze was entrusted with some of the most sensational and important cases of Mumbai city and Deshmukh was in knowledge of the said fact, the CBI FIR alleged.

    It alleged that Deshmukh “and others” exercised undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials and thereby exercising undue influence over the performance of official duties by the officials, it claimed.

    After registering the FIR on April 21, the CBI had also carried out searches in Mumbai and Nagpur at premises linked to the former minister who had resigned after the high court had ordered a CBI probe against him in connection with this case.

    Deshmukh had told reporters after the searches that he cooperated with the CBI officials.

  • Rose Valley ponzi scam: Enforcement Directorate takes possession of Rs 304-crore assets

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has taken “possession” of assets worth Rs 304 crore in connection with its money laundering case in the alleged Rose Valley ponzi scam that took place in West Bengal and Odisha.

    “Possession has been taken of properties of the Rose Valley group of companies throughout West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This includes 412 movable properties amounting to Rs 47 crore and 426 immovable properties worth Rs 257 crore,” the central probe agency said in a statement.

    The Rose Valley group of companies “had collected huge amount of money from gullible public by floating various fake and fictitious schemes and defaulted the re-payments”.

    It said that the probe found that several properties in West Bengal, Odisha, Tripura, Assam, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and others states were “acquired in the name of various companies of group, by illegally diverting the funds collected from the common public”.

    These assets were earlier provisionally attached by the ED under the anti-money laundering law and after getting approval from the Adjudicating Authority (under the PMLA), the agency is empowered to take possession of such properties.

    The ED had filed a criminal case of money laundering against the firm, its chairman Gautam Kundu and others in 2014 and later arrested him in Kolkata. Multiple charge sheets have been filed by it in this case till now even as the probe continues.

  • ED attaches Rs 3-crore assets of TMC leaders, others in Saradha scam case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said it has attached assets worth Rs 3 crore of TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, its MP Satabdi Roy and Debjani Mukherjee in the Saradha chit fund money laundering case.

    It said a provisional order for attachment of the movable and immovable properties has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The central probe agency said in a statement that the assets belong to “Kunal Ghosh, ex-Rajya Sabha MP from Trinamool Congress (CEO of Media Group Saradha), Satabdi Roy, Lok Sabha MP from TMC (brand ambassador in Saradha), and Debjani Mukherjee who is director in Saradha Group of companies in Saradha chit fund case.”

    Assets worth Rs 600 crore have been attached in this case till now.

    The ED is probing the money laundering aspect of the alleged ponzi scam since April, 2013.

    The Saradha group allegedly cheated thousands of depositors, promising abnormally high returns on investments in its illegal schemes.

    Ghosh, who is out on bail in the case, was suspended from the TMC in 2013 for alleged anti-party activities.

    He has been questioned by the ED in this case apart from others.

    He was later reinstated as the party spokesperson.

    The former TMC MP headed a TV channel and a daily, which was funded by the now-defunct Saradha group.

  • Enforcement Directorate files chargesheet in Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has filed a chargesheet against a Jammu & Kashmir-resident in a money laundering case linked to a terror-funding case of 2006.

    It said in a statement that the prosecution complaint (chargesheet) has been filed against Aijaz Hussain Khwaja, a resident of Baramulla district of the Union Territory, under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    According to the central probe agency, Khawaja was apprehended by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in 2006 with a bag containing 2.05 kg RDX and Rs 49 lakh in cash.

    “He was sentenced for seven years under sections of the Explosive Substances Act along with Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The seized amount was also confiscated by the trial court,” it said.

    The ED said its probe found that the “accused was involved in illegal activities related to terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir.”

    “Out of such illegal activities, he had generated proceeds of crime in lakhs. During that period, he was in touch with Muktiar Ahmed Bhatt alias Ahmed (a Pakistan-based LeT operative in league with Pakistan ISI) to undertake financial dealings for various separatist and terrorist activities,” it said.

    It had earlier attached a residential flat at Jangpura in New Delhi and bank balance in the account held by Khawaja’s wife.

  • Punjab govt clears decks for setting up ED to crackdown on illegal mining

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Decks have been cleared for the establishment of the Enforcement Directorate to check illegal mining in Punjab.

    The directorate will be headed by a senior police officer not below the rank of a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) at the state-level and would be assisted by three SP level officers in the Head Office. Each of the seven mining blocks (number may vary as per government policy) would be headed by an officer not below the rank of a DSP, with 21 Inspectors and Sub Inspectors at the district level (three per DSP) and 175 Head Constables and constables under them. This deployment may be altered from time to time, keeping in view the functional requirements of the ED. 

    The police personnel in ED will be provided salary, equipment and arms by the Police department. Any special equipment, if required, would be provided from District Mineral Foundation Funds. It will be set up in the Mining and Geology Wing of Water Resources department. It will also help in ramping up the state’s revenues by curbing the menace of illegal mining.

    In addition to the registration and investigation of mining-related cases by various District Police chiefs (CPS & SSPs) as at present, ED would also register and investigate cases in coordination with XENs, SDOs, Mining Officers, under the provisions of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, Orders of the Supreme Court of India and National Green Tribunal guidelines. It will present final reports (challans) thereof to the respective Courts.

    Investigation of every case would be completed in a time-bound manner.

    In this endeavour, districts of Mohali, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Nawanshahr, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Sangrur and Bathinda would be given greater attention to ensure effective legitimate mining operations.

    The ED would help in checking and stopping unauthorised movement of minor minerals within the state and at the interstate borders of Punjab, in conjunction with the officials of the Mining department. It will also facilitate prosecution of those indulging in illegal mining under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. 

    Working closely with the Mining Wing of Water Resources department, the ED will also check that those involved in sand and gravel business do not overcharge on the sale price ceiling prescribed in the Mining Policy.

    Also in another decision, convicted prisoners in Punjab will now be eligible for remission from time to time, instead of just once under the amendment to the Remission Policy 2010, approved on Wednesday by the state cabinet.

    The cabinet gave the go-ahead to the amended Remission Policy 2021, which makes remission applicable for prisoners sentenced to imprisonment for more than 10 years, including prisoners sentenced for life instead of prisoners convicted for 10 to 20 years under the earlier policy.

    Further, the convicts would now be eligible for time to time remission also in cases of offences committed under Section 302 or 304 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, read with Sections 376, 376-A, 376-AB, 376-B, 376-C, 376-D, 376-DA, 376-DB, 376-E or 377 of the Indian Penal Code, instead of an offence committed under Section 302 or 304 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 read with only Sections 376 to 376-D or 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

    It may be recalled that on March 16, 2020, while considering premature release cases of life convicts, it came to the notice of the Committee constituted at the level of government for the purpose, that the Remission Policy-2010 had some ambiguities. The Committee also realised that the 2010 policy was silent on some provisions. Hence, it could not be clarified from the Remission Policy whether the remission announced by the Punjab Government was to be granted to the convicts every year or it can be granted only One Time during the sentence period. It was thus felt that the Remission Policy dated September 30, 2010 needed some clarification.