Supplementary charge sheet in Virbhadra case soon, ED tells court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a court here on Friday that it will soon file a supplementary charge sheet against LIC agent Anand Chauhan, accused of laundering Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's disproportionate assets.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Virender Kumar Goyal adjourned the matter for September 4 after the ED's submission.

The court also extended the judicial custody of Chauhan till that date.

The ED had earlier filed a charge sheet against Life Insurance Corporation agent and accused him of investing Virbhadra Singh's "tainted" money of Rs 5.14 crore in LIC policies purchased in Virbhadra's name and those of his family members, including wife Pratibha Singh.

The ED booked him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

A probe had allegedly found that Virbhadra Singh had accumulated assets totalling Rs 6.03 crore in his name and in the name of his family members, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income, during his tenure as the Union Steel Minister from 2009 to 2011.

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh, and two others for quashing of a money laundering case filed against them by the ED under the PMLA.

In September 2015, the ED had lodged the case against 83-year-old Virbhadra Singh and others under the PMLA after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet on March 31, hours after the High Court refused to quash the FIR lodged against the Congress Chief Minister and his wife in the disproportionate assets case.

Virbhadra Singh had earlier claimed that the FIR was filed due to "political vendetta".

The ED had arrested LIC agent Anand Chauhan in July 2016 under the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the Investigating Officer.

--IANS

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