MNS leader Sardesai questioned by ED in IL&FS loan case

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Nitin Sardesai was on Thursday questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a case related to IL&FS loan to a realty firm, an official said, days after party chief Raj Thackeray was quizzed in the same matter.

Sardesai, a former MLA, was summoned by the ED to join the probe related to Kohinoor Square building here.

Accordingly, Sardesai arrived at the ED office in Ballard Pier, South Mumbai, at around 11.30 am and left at around 6 pm, the official said.

He was questioned for several hours in connection with Kohinoor CTNL and money trail of the loan disbursed by the now bankrupt IL&FS to Kohinoor CTNL, the official said.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in loan disbursal by Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to Kohinoor CTNL.

Kohinoor CTNL has developed Kohinoor Square, a high- rise at Dadar in Central Mumbai.

According to the official, Sardesai was one of the partners of Matoshree Realtors, which had invested Rs 4 crore in the project.

Sardesai held 10 per cent share in investment done by Matoshree Realtors, he said.

After recording his statement in connection with the probe, ED officials allowed him to go, he said.

Sardesai did not speak to reporters waiting out the ED office.

Earlier, Thackeray, Unmesh Joshi, son of former chief minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi and another MNS leader Rajan Shirodkar were questioned by the central agency in the same case.

The ED is probing alleged irregularities relating to loan and equity investment worth over Rs 450 crore by IL&FS in Kohinoor CTNL.

Thackeray was grilled by the ED on August 22 for several hours.

ED officials had prepared a questionnaire for him to get a fair idea of the financial transactions, an official had said.

The opposition NCP had dubbed the ED's action against Thackeray as "political vendetta".

The ED had summoned Thackeray days after the MNS chief's had held meetings with opposition leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee on his demand for replacing EVMs with ballot papers in the future polls.