ED likely to chargesheet Kanimozhi, Raja soon

Attorney General's office has vetted and sent back the agency's charge sheet to Law Ministry for further action

The Enforcement Directorate is expected to soon file a charge sheet against DMK leader Kanimozhi and former Telecom Minister A Raja for alleged money laundering in the 2G spectrum case.

The Attorney General's office has vetted and sent back the agency's charge sheet in this regard to the Law Ministry recently for further action.

The ED had asked for a legal vetting of the charge sheet by country's top law officer Ghoolam E Vahanvati through the Department of Revenue early last year.

Official sources said the Attorney General perused the charge sheet and sent it back to the Law Ministry. The ED is expected to soon follow the set procedure and file the charge sheet in the case.

The opinion on the charge sheet included that of Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran who has cleared it for being placed before the competent court trying the 2G case.

The legal opinion to file a charge sheet in this case, sources said, is reinforced by a 2010 Jharkhand High Court order which validates application of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in cases prior to its amendment in 2009.

The agency claimed to have found evidence with regard to the channelling of Rs 200 crore to the DMK family-run Kalaignar TV through a circuitous route and relying on the Jharkhand High Court order it has decided to slap the charge of "criminal proceeds" against the accused, including the duo, under the PMLA.

The High Court order, relating to Hari Narain Roy vs Union of India, had stated that any money laundering related offences prior to the date of amendment of PMLA can be prosecuted under the said Act.

This particular deal of Rs 200 crore pertains to January 2008.