ED issues summons to 16 firms in Goa illegal mining scam case

Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to 16 firms against whom it has registered a money laundering case in the Rs 35,000-crore Goa illegal mining scam, which was investigated by the MB Shah Commission for alleged large-scale irregularities.
Officials said that ED has asked the companies to furnish details of the business operations and their financial transactions over the last few years as it looks to take the probe further.
ED had in June this year registered a complaint under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of the reports of the Commission, the inquiry boards constituted in this regard and also an FIR filed by Goa police's Crime Branch last year in August.

Close to 80 firms involved in mining in the state have been named in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent to a police FIR, filed by the agency.
"These companies will have to start appearing before the agency from Nov. 1. Further summons against more mining companies/exporters will be issued in due course of time," agency sources said.
The Shah Commission has estimated that the said scam was worth Rs 35,000 crore. The Commission had submitted its report in 2012, two years after it was constituted in 2010.
The money laundering case has been registered "against government officials, mining companies and entities identified and mentioned in the report of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by Supreme Court and the Justice Shah Commission report, including the report of the Public Accounts Committee of Goa".

Sources said the ED suspects that the alleged illegal mining has caused a huge loss of revenue to the exchequer by way of laundering of funds and hence it needs to be probed.