THE ENFORCEMENT Directorate (ED) moved towards two distinguished Opposition leaders on Tuesday, provisionally attaching property price Rs 115 crore linked to a few individuals in Mumbai, together with the spouse of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, and, in a separate transfer, property price Rs 4.81 crore of firms allegedly linked to AAP chief and Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain and his kinfolk.
In each instances, the central company moved underneath the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In Mumbai, the ED mentioned its case is linked to alleged irregularities within the Patra chawl redevelopment undertaking in Goregaon by Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).
In Delhi, the central company mentioned the attachment of properties linked to 5 firms have been made in reference to a case of cash laundering towards the Delhi Health Minister.
Reacting to the ED motion towards his spouse Varsha Raut, Sanjay Raut mentioned: “I’m not one to get scared. Seize my property, shoot me, or ship me to jail, Sanjay Raut is Balasaheb Thackeray’s follower and a Shiv Sainik, he’ll combat and expose everybody. I’m not one to remain quiet, allow them to dance. The fact will prevail.”
The ED motion in Mumbai is the most recent in a sequence of strikes by the central company towards leaders of the MVA authorities in Maharashtra, together with Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and former state house minister Anil Deshmukh of NCP, and Transport Minister Anil Parab of Shiv Sena.
The AAP, in the meantime, mentioned the ED transfer towards Jain mirrored the ruling BJP’s “fear of its expansion across the country”. “Given the way the (Arvind) Kejriwal model is being accepted and embraced everywhere, we had expected that the BJP would use agencies against the Opposition as usual. They registered more than 100 cases against our MLAs and ministers, and each one has been dismissed in court. Satyaendar Jain is a staunchly honest man and this case will also be completely dismissed,” the celebration mentioned.
In a press release on the Mumbai case, the ED mentioned: “The attached assets are in form of lands held by Pravin M Raut, former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, Mumbai at Palghar, a flat at Dadar of Varsha Raut and plots at Kihim beach at Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut, wife of Shri Sanjay Raut, and Swapna Patkar, wife of Shri Sujit Patkar.”
The ED had arrested Pravin Raut, a businessman, on February 4 for having allegedly “diverted” Rs 100 crore acquired from HDIL to numerous accounts of “his close associates, family members, his business entities”, together with the household of Sanjay Raut.
The ED has claimed that its probe into alleged irregularities within the redevelopment of Patra chawl discovered an settlement signed between Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and Guru Ashish Construction. According to ED, Guru Ashish Construction was to supply flats to 672 tenants of the chawl, develop flats for MHADA and promote the remaining space to non-public builders.
However, the ED mentioned, the administrators of Guru Ashish Construction, together with Pravin Raut, allegedly misled MHADA and bought house to 9 builders, gathering Rs 901.79 crore, with out developing the portion for the tenants and the MHADA.
“Further, Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd has also launched one project namely Meadows and took the booking amount of around Rs 138 crore from flat buyers. The total proceeds of the crime generated by directors of Guru Ashish Constructions Pvt Ltd through the illegal activities was approximately Rs 1,039.79 crore,” mentioned the ED assertion.
The ED has alleged that in 2010, part of the “proceeds of crime” of Rs 83 lakh was transferred to Varsha Raut from Madhuri Raut, the spouse of Pravin Raut. “This amount was utilized by Varsha Raut for purchase of flat at Dadar. It is also revealed that after initiation of ED investigation, the amount of Rs 55 Lakh was transferred by Varsha Raut to Madhuri Raut,” mentioned the assertion.
According to ED, not less than eight plots at Kihim seashore in Alibaug have been allegedly bought within the title of Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, the spouse of Sujit Patkar, who was a detailed affiliate of Sanjay Raut on the time. These properties, too, have been provisionally connected, the ED mentioned.
The ED motion towards Jain in Delhi is predicated on an FIR filed by the CBI in 2017 towards the AAP Minister underneath the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Apart from properties linked to the 5 firms — Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Mangalayatan Projects Pvt Ltd and JJ Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd — the ED has provisionally connected properties belonging to 4 individuals, Swati Jain, Sushila Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain and Indu Jain.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the ED mentioned: “Investigation by ED revealed that during the period 2015-16, when Sh. Satyendar Kumar Jain was a public servant, the above-mentioned 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. These amounts were utilized for direct purchase of land or for the repayment of loan taken for purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi.”
The company had just lately summoned Jain once more within the case after questioning him in 2018.
The CBI had alleged in its criticism that Jain was unable to elucidate the supply of funds acquired by the businesses wherein he was a shareholder. Thereafter, it registered a case towards him, his spouse and 4 others on expenses of corruption. The CBI has additionally questioned Jain within the case earlier.
(With ENS/Delhi)
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
