Spl PMLA court allows attachment order against Maha NCP MLA

A special anti-money laundering court here has ordered attachment of about Rs 50 crore assets of Maharashtra MLA Ramesh Kadam and others in a case of alleged embezzlement of over Rs 300 crore in a state-run corporation being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The agency had issued a provisional order in this regard in March after it registered a criminal complaint against Kadam and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in September, 2015 based on an FIR of the state CID in the said case.
Kadam, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Mohol seat in Solapur, has been the president of Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Development Corporation between August, 2012 to December, 2014, during which the ED alleged he along with other officials of the corporation misappropriated large amounts.

"Considering the material in the complaint, the replies and rejoinder and the arguments above referred, I find that the properties provisionally attached by provisional attachment order... Are involved in money laundering.
"I, thereby, hereby confirm the attachment of properties made under sub-section (1) of section 5 of PMLA. I, therefore, order that the said attachment shall continue during the pendency of the proceedings relating to offence under PMLA, 2002 before a court and become final after an order of confiscation is passed under sub-section (5) or sub-section (7) of section 8 of PMLA by the special court," an order issued by Tushar V Shah, Member (Law) of the Adjudicating Authority of PMLA, said.

The central probe agency had issued a provisional attachment order for seizing a flat in Mumbai, an agricultural land in Aurangabad district and bank balances of Kadam and others.

Based on PMLA investigations conducted, the agency had said, it is "revealed that Kadam and other accused persons have fraudulently acquired and misappropriated huge funds from the corporation meant for the uplift of the Matang community and have laundered these proceeds of crime through fictitious entities created by them for this specific purpose and further integrated the same into movable and immovable properties in their personal and company's name."
The agency said while the value of the seized assets is about Rs 50 crore, their "actual value is in excess of Rs 120 crore".

An attachment order under PMLA is aimed at depriving the accused from obtaining benefits of their alleged ill-gotten wealth.
Kadam was also arrested from Pune in August last year by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) during its probe in the case.