Page 53 - Enforcement Directorate

Jharkhand CM responds to ED's fresh summons, to reply in due course: Report

Earlier on January 20, the Enforcement Directorate arrived in Ranchi to question the Jharkhand Chief Minister in the land scam case

SC seeks TN's reply on ED's plea for probe transfer against its officer

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought response of the Tamil Nadu government on a plea of the Enforcement Directorate seeking transfer of the probe in a case against its officer, arrested by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption on charges of bribe, to the CBI. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and sought its response in two weeks. The bench asked the Tamil Nadu Police to produce before it on the next date of hearing, the materials collected in the bribery case, after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, alleged that files related to investigation against ministers were taken away. Justice Kant asked senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Amit Anand Tiwari, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, to not proceed with the investigation in the bribery case, till the next date of hearing of the matter. When the bench asked Mehta whether the ED has also booked the officer, accused of taking the ..

Called again on Feb 1: NCP's Rohit Pawar after spending 11 hrs at ED office

NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, grand nephew of party supremo Sharad Pawar, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here on Wednesday for questioning in connection with a probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, and left after more than 11 hours. The MLA, who left the ED office in South Mumbai around 10 pm, told reporters that he was cooperating with the agency which has called him again for questioning on February 1. Earlier, NCP MP Supriya Sule and other party leaders accompanied the 38-year-old legislator as he arrived at the central agency's office at Ballard Estate around 10.30 am. Before going to the probe agency's office, Rohit Pawar went to the NCP office's located nearby and met Sharad Pawar, touched his feet, and also interacted with other party leaders. He also visited the Vidhan Bhavan and paid tributes at the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and a plaque of the Indian Constitution. Before Rohit Pawar entered the ED office, Sule handed him over a c

Money laundering case: ED summons Raut's brother in 'khichdi scam' case

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Sandeep Raut, the younger brother of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the alleged 'khichdi scam' during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, official sources said Wednesday. Sandeep Raut has been asked to depose before the central agency at its office in Mumbai next week, they said, adding his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Suraj Chavan, a functionary of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, was arrested in this case by the ED last week. Chavan, a core committee member of the Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), is in ED custody till Thursday and is expected to be produced before a court here. The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW). According to police, alleged irregularities took place while giving contracts by the Brihanmumbai Municipal .

95% cases filed by central probe agencies are against Oppn leaders: Sule

NCP leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday claimed that as per the government data presented in Parliament, 95 per cent of the cases filed by the central probe agencies are against leaders of opposition parties. She accused the government of misusing the probe agencies, and asserted that truth shall ultimately prevail. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP was speaking to reporters outside her party office in south Mumbai after accompanying MLA Rohit Pawar till the entrance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office located nearby. Pawar appeared before the agency for questioning in connection with a money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam this morning. "Satyamev Jayate (truth shall prevail). This is a period of struggle for us. There will be challenges in future, but we will overcome them. We will struggle, but continue to tread on the path of truth. This fight is for the pride of Maharashtra," Sule said. "We will continue to walk on the path o

NCP MLA Rohit Pawar appears before ED amid money laundering probe

Before Rohit Pawar entered the ED office, Sule handed him over a copy of the Indian Constitution

Ration distribution scam: ED searches TMC leader Sheikh's home again

Nineteen days after an Enforcement Directorate team was assaulted by a mob, ED sleuths again conducted a raid at the residence of absconding TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday morning in connection with its probe into the alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam, an officer said. Accompanied by over 120 personnel of the central armed police force, the ED officers broke open the collapsible gate of the residence of Sheikh in Sandeshkhali area in the presence of local police and two locals as witnesses, the officer said. "We will search Sheikh's house today. We will also try to talk to the residents there", the ED officer told PTI. After entering the house, the ED officers locked the gates from inside and started searches, he added. On January 5, a team of ED officers were assaulted by a mob when they tried to enter the residence of the TMC leader. Three officers were injured in the attack. The district police and Sheikh's family members had .

ED summons harassment, will not appear: CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac

Senior CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac on Tuesday said he would not be appearing before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a FEMA case, terming the summons issued to him as "pure harassment". The Foreign Exchange Management Act case is linked to a probe into the alleged violations in the financial dealings of KIIFB during his tenure as the finance minister in the previous LDF government. Isaac told reporters that he had asked the ED to withdraw the summons issued to him last week. The ED had issued a summons for the 71-year-old politician to depose at the agency office in Kochi on January 22, but he did not appear before it. He was earlier asked to appear before it on January 12 but he had not turned up then also. Isaac today said that he was willing to appear before the agency and give an explanation if the ED can point out what law has been violated. "But, I am not going to appear before them so that they can question me and find out if any laws were violated. That amoun

ED asks J'khand CM Soren to record statement in PMLA case again this week

The Enforcement Directorate has issued a fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and asked him to again record his statement in a money laundering case between January 27 and 31, official sources said on Monday. The central agency recorded his statement for the first time in the case on January 20 after investigators went to his official residence here. They recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the about seven hours they spent at his home. Soren has been asked to join the investigation again between January 27 and 31, and a Enforcement Directorate team will go to his residence like the last time, the sources said. The recording of statement did not finish that day (January 20), and hence, the chief minister has been asked to join the probe again, they said. The agency is understood to have put about 25-30 questions to Soren during the last week questioning in the money laundering case linked to alleged instances of illega

ED files police complaint against ex-Haryana MLA, others for illegal mining

The Enforcement Directorate has filed an FIR with the police against former Haryana MLA Dilbag Singh and a dozen others allegedly associated with him on charges of illegal mining and "diverting" the flow of the River Yamuna. The federal agency had raided the former Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator from Yamunanagar assembly seat, Congress MLA from Sonipat Surender Panwar and their linked entities earlier this month in an alleged illegal mining linked money laundering case. It had arrested Dilbag Singh and his associate Kulwinder Singh after raiding about 20 premises of the two politicians and their linked persons in Yamunanagar, Sonipat, Mohali, Faridabad, Chandigarh, and Karnal. These searches were based on a case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), that took cognisance of multiple FIRs of the Haryana Police regarding illegal mining of boulders, gravel and sand that took place in the past in Yamunanagar and nearby districts even after the lease

'Conspiracy against me': Soren after ED interrogates him for over 7 hours

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren alleged that a conspiracy was hatched against him after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated him in a money laundering case for more than seven hours on Saturday. Addressing a large crowd of supporters outside his residence where he was interrogated, Soren said he was not scared and would face the "bullets first". "A conspiracy was hatched against me, but the final nail in the coffin of the conspirators will be put by us... We will not be scared, your leader will face the bullets first and keep your morale high," Soren told JMM workers who had been outside his house since the morning, and refused to leave even after ED officers left. "I extend heartfelt thanks to you for your unflinching support... Hemant Soren will stand behind every party worker," he said. ED officers reached Soren's residence around 1 pm, and began questioning him. The investigation pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in

ED continues to quiz Hemant Soren, Section 144 clamped near CM's residence

Sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) began questioning Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his official residence here on Saturday afternoon in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Soren, 48, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), had earlier skipped seven summonses by the ED. He finally gave his consent after the probe agency summoned him for the eighth time. The ED sleuths reached Soren's residence around 1 pm, an official said. The CISF, tasked with the security of the ED officials, are using high-resolution body cameras to keep track of activities around Soren's residence, he said. CRPF personnel have also been deployed in large numbers at the spot. Meanwhile, the JMM convened a meeting of its legislators at Soren's residence. "The ED is questioning the CM... We are also holding our meeting... Any strategy about the future course of action will be made based on the outcome of the questioni

ED being used as tool to terrorise, silence opponents: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the Enforcement Directorate was being used as a tool to terrorise and silence political opponents. He was responding to a query on grandnephew and party MLA Rohit Pawar getting summons from the ED to appear before the agency on January 24 for questioning as part of its money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam. The MSCB case stems from an August 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing. The ED had raided Baramati Agro, a company owned by the Karjat-Jamkhed MLA, and some linked entities in Pune, Aurangabad etc on January 5. Hitting out at the Centre, Sharad Pawar said, "The ED is being used to silence political opponents through misuse of power and to terrorise them. We have to go to the people to defeat such tendencies." Asked about seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls, which are to be held in the first half of this year, the former Union minister said talks are

ED threatening leaders who want to join Shiv Sena (UBT): Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of threatening political leaders who want to join the Uddhav faction by sending them notices

HC asks Supertech chairman to respond to ED's plea challenging interim bail

The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of R K Arora, the chairman and promoter of realty major Supertech Group, on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging an order granting him interim bail on medical grounds in a money laundering case. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice to Arora and asked him to file a reply to the petition. The high court noted that Arora, who was granted interim bail by a trial court here on Tuesday, has already been released from jail and listed the matter for further hearing on February 9. While granting interim bail to Arora on medical grounds, the trial court had directed him not to leave the National Capital Territory of Delhi or country without prior permission of the court and ordered him to surrender his passport in the court. It had also said that he will not use the liberty of interim bail for any other purpose except for better medical treatment/surgery, and better nursing and nutritional care. Arora had sought interim bail fo

ED summons Sharad Pawar's grandnephew in MSCB money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Maharashtra MLA Rohit Pawar, a grandnephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, for questioning on January 24 as part of its money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam, official sources said Friday. The federal agency had raided the premises of Baramati Agro, a company owned by Rohit Pawar, and some linked entities on January 5 in Baramati, Pune, Aurangabad and some other locations. Rohit Pawar, 38, is a first-time NCP MLA from the Karjat-Jamkhed seat in the Maharashtra assembly and is the owner and CEO of Baramati Agro. He belongs to the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Rohit Pawar is the nephew of Baramati MP Supriya Sule, and the state's deputy chief minister and Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar. The Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank money laundering case stems from an August 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing. Reacting to the raids, the Nationalist Congress Pa

ED issues fresh summons to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, son Tejashwi Yadav

The ED has issued fresh summons to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son and Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav to appear for questioning at its Patna office in connection with the alleged railways land-for-jobs money laundering case, official sources said on Friday. While Prasad has been asked to depose on January 29, Tejashwi has been called the next day on January 30. A team went to the official residence of Prasad's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in Patna to deliver the summons, they said. The two have been asked to depose at the Enforcement Directorate office on Bank Road in the capital. The duo had skipped the earlier summonses issued in this case. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government.

ED raids Chennai infrastructure firm, promoters in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided multiple premises in Chennai as part of a money laundering investigation involving a city-based civil construction and infrastructure company, its promoters and linked persons, official sources said. The probe by the central agency was initiated after taking cognisance of an FIR filed by the central crime branch (CCB) of Greater Chennai Police against Ocean Lifespaces India Private Limited, its MD and CEO S K Peter, some directors and others. About six-seven locations in and around Chennai city are being covered by ED officials under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The CCB FIR was filed last year on the complaint of a former director of the company, B Sriram, who alleged he was "cheated" by the promoters and later he also moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) challenging his removal from the board of the company. The company promoters and directors subsequently moved the Madras

ED sends fresh summons to former Kerala minister in KIIFB masala bonds case

The ED has issued a fresh summons to senior Kerala CPI(M) leader Thomas Issac for questioning in a FEMA case linked to a probe into the alleged violations in the financial dealings of KIIFB during his tenure as the finance minister in the previous LDF government, official sources said Friday. The 71-year-old politician has now been asked to depose at the agency office in Kochi on January 22, they said. He was earlier called on January 12 but he did not turn up. The central agency in December had informed the Kerala High Court that it had withdrawn the summons issued to Isaac. The submissions were made during the hearing of a plea by Isaac and a KIIFB official alleging that only personal information was sought through the summons by ED and seeking quashing of the same. In view of the agency withdrawing the summons, the HC disposed of the petitions but at the same time, the court also said that the ED was free to continue with its investigation into the matter. ED sources said the f

Court takes cognizance of ED chargesheet in Rs 36 cr Delhi Waqf board case

The Rouse Avenue court took cognizance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi Waqf Board Money Laundering case