ED attaches assets of family, firms of Delhi minister Satyendar Jain

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has attached properties worth Rs 4.81 crore of the family and companies "beneficially owned and controlled" by Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in connection with a money-laundering probe.

Jain is the minister for health, power, home, PWD, industries, urban development, flood, irrigation and water in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government.

The ED had in 2018 questioned the AAP MLA from Shakur Basti in connection with the case.

In a statement, the Enforcement Directorate said it has issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the attachment of the assets.

The "attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belong to Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd., Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd., Manglayatan Projects Pvt. Ltd., J.J. Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd., Swati Jain, wife of Vaibhav Jain, Sushila Jain, wife of Ajit Prasad Jain, and Indu Jain, wife of Sunil Jain."

The probe found that "during the period 2015-16, when Satyendar Kumar Jain was a public servant, the 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 the hawala route."

"These amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land or for repayment of loan taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi," ED mentioned.

The ED case of money laundering against the AAP minister stems from an August 2017 FIR by the CBI against him and others on charges of alleged possession of disproportionate assets.

Kejriwal in February had said that he has learnt from sources the ED was going to arrest Satyendar Jain just before the Punjab assembly elections and accused the Centre of targeting the Aam Aadmi Party after realising the BJP "would lose" the polls.

The AAP won the Punjab assembly polls in March and has formed its government in the border state with Bhagwant Mann as the chief minister.