Page 60 - Enforcement Directorate

Orissa HC grants bail to honey trap scandal accused Archana Nag in ED case

The Orissa High Court has granted bail to honey trap scandal accused Archana Nag in an ED case registered against her. A single judge bench of Justice G Satapathy on Monday allowed the applicant to furnish a bail bond of Rs 2 lakh. The accused has been warned to not commit any offence while on bail and asked to deposit her passport with the court. She has also been asked to appear before the courts as and when required. With the granting of bail in the ED case, Nag, who was arrested in October last year, has received bail in all cases registered against her and is likely to walk out of prison. The high court had earlier granted her bail in two other cases registered against her by Bhubaneswar city police. Nag and her associates had allegedly extorted crores of rupees from affluent people by blackmailing them of releasing their intimate videos, captured by the accused after honey trapping them. Cases were registered against Nag with Nayapalli and Khandagiri police stations in ...

ED raids in Haryana, Raj in money laundering case against Bishnoi gang

The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday conducted multiple raids in Haryana and Rajasthan as part of a money laundering investigation against the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, officials said. The central probe agency is covering around a dozen locations in the two states as part of the action being carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Bishnoi, currently in jail, is one of the accused in the murder case of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. The ED's action stems from FIRs and charge sheets filed against the gangster by the National investigation Agency (NIA).

ED terms TN police's search of its Madurai office 'illegal', 'mala fide'

The Enforcement Directorate on Sunday lodged a complaint with the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal seeking registration of an FIR against vigilance officials for conducting 'illegal search' in its Madurai office and alleged that unauthorised persons entered the office premises and sensitive case records were stolen. The ED, citing the December 1 searches by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in its office after its officer Ankit Tiwari was arrested in a corruption case, the Central agency, in its plaint alleged its entire office was 'ransacked.' Even case files that had no relation to Tiwari's case were opened and sensitive case records and internal documents of the ED were accessed, the complaint alleged. "When Panchanama was drawn, we were shocked to see that there were only four persons authorised for the search along with two witnesses...we have signed the Panchanama registering our protest." Though only fours persons were found to be authorised

Delhi excise policy case: ED files charge sheet against Sanjay Singh

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday filed a charge sheet against AAP MP Sanjay Singh in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, officials said. The prosecution complaint has been filed before a local court under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This is a supplementary charge sheet in this case as the agency had filed about five such complaints earlier. Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested in this case by the ED in October. The anti-money laundering agency had alleged that an accused businessman Dinesh Arora gave Rs 2 crore in cash at the Rajya Sabha MP's residence in two tranches. Singh has rebutted the claim. The AAP MP was arrested by the ED in connection with its money laundering probe linked to the 2021-22 Delhi Excise policy case and was the second high-profile leader after Manish Sisodia, a former deputy chief minister, to be held in this case. The AAP that rules Delhi has cal

ED raids 2 ex-Punjab ministers; seizes docs, mobile phones, electronics

"Incriminating" documents, mobile phones, and other electronic devices were seized by the ED after raids against two former Punjab forest ministers and Congress leaders Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Sangat Singh Giljian and others as part of an alleged forest scam-linked money laundering probe. The federal probe agency issued a statement on Friday, saying its investigation pertains to charges of "bribery" in the state forest department against the issuance of a permit for tree felling and for transfer/posting in the department, among some other allegations. The raids were conducted on November 30 in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi at the residential premises of Dharamsot, Giljian, their associates, forest officers and some private individuals, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. Dharamsot (63), has been a five-time MLA and he was arrested earlier this year by the Punjab Vigilance bureau as part of a case linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets. Giljian has been an MLA from

ED registers money laundering case in connection with oxygen plant fraud

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case of money laundering concerning the alleged fraud in setting up oxygen plants in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, police said on Saturday. The police's economic offences wing (EOW) had on November 24 arrested contractor Romil Chheda of M/s Highway Construction Company for allegedly causing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) a loss of Rs 6 crore, an official said. The ED on Friday registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the fraud, he said. Chheda was awarded a contract to set up oxygen plants in nine BMC-run hospitals and two jumbo COVID-19 centres despite allegedly not having prior experience in executing such work, he said. According to the EOW, the fraud took place between April 2021 and January 2022 at the municipal workshop in Byculla and the oxygen plants on the premises of civic-run hospitals V N Desai, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, GTB, Kasturba, BYL Nair, R N ..

Acting ED Director Rahul Navin empanelled as additional secretary at Centre

Acting ED Director Rahul Navin has been empanelled by the Union government to hold an additional secretary rank at the Centre. Navin is a 1993-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax cadre. An order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Thursday empanelled Navin in the additional secretary (AS) rank along with 15 other officers from various cadres. He was appointed as the in-charge director or head of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in September following the end of tenure of Sanjay Kumar Mishra. Navin holds expertise in international taxation laws and treaties and has been serving as the Special Director (vigilance) in the ED since his appointment at the agency from the Income Tax department in 2020. The ED director post is an additional secretary rank post. Mishra, a 1984-batch IRS officer, was promoted to the secretary rank while heading the ED. The ED is a federal probe agency tasked to investigate financial crimes under three law

ED carries out raids in Rs 250-crore money laundering case in J-K

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday searched six places in connection with a Rs 250-crore money laundering case in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The searches included the premises of the former chairman of Jammu and Kashmir State Cooperative Bank Limited, they said. Earlier the officials had mentioned that the case pertained to J-K Bank. The fraud was in the name of the fictitious River Jhelum Cooperative Housing Building Society, the officials said. According to them, the raids were conducted by the ED's office in Srinagar under powers provided to the federal probe agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for search and seizure. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had already filed a charge sheet in the case against Hilal A Mir, the chairman of the fictitious housing society, the then chairman of J-K State Co-operative Bank Limited Mohd Shafi Dar and others for the commission of offences under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of ...

Queries received in ED's notice are solely technical in nature: Byju's

Byju's said the notice was sent on delayed annual performance reports related to overseas direct investments of Rs 8,000 crore

Delhi High Court grants bail to Avtar Singh Kochar in ED, Mcoca case

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Avtar Singh Kochar in the money laundering as well as in the MCOCA case

Lessons from ED's crackdown on Byju's, Xiaomi to strengthen compliance

Experts are also of view that severe fines, penalties will push companies and startups to ensure their adherence to the regulatory framework when accepting foreign investments and issuing remittances

Delhi court seeks ED's reply on Sanjay Singh's bail plea by Dec 6

A Delhi court on Tuesday directed the ED to file by December 6 its reply to an application by AAP MP Sanjay Singh seeking bail in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam. Special Judge M K Nagpal issued notice to the central probe agency on the application, which claimed that no purpose will be served by keeping Singh in further custody. The judge also directed the ED to provide a copy of the reply to the accused. The anti-money laundering agency had arrested Singh on October 4. The ED has alleged that Singh played a key role in the formulation and implementation of the now scrapped policy, which benefited certain liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, for monetary considerations. Singh has strongly refuted the allegations.

PMLA proceedings can't continue for quashed scheduled offences: Delhi HC

Prosecution for money laundering cannot continue for a scheduled offence under an FIR which is compounded and quashed, the Delhi High Court has said. It, however, clarified that the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in such a case cannot be quashed completely if there is another FIR with respect to the same cause of action to legitimise the existence of the money laundering probe. The high court's order came on a petition by a money laundering accused seeking to quash the ECIR registered against him on the basis of two Delhi Police FIRs in connection with alleged siphoning funds collected by him for the development of a real-estate project. The petitioner said the jurisdictional fact which formed the basis of the ED investigation has now come to an end with the compounding and quashing of the FIRs pursuant to a settlement, and hence, the ECIR and the subsequent proceedings cannot continue any longer. The ED opposed the petition on the ..

Suvendu Adhikari alleges scam in purchase of PPE kits; demand probe

The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging a scam in the purchase of PPE kits and other medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.Taking to his official handle on social media platform X, Adhikari shared a detailed post informing that he had written to the director, ED, principal director general of the Income Tax Department and secretary, Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, seeking an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits."A huge financial scam was executed in WB during the Covid Pandemic period, with regard to the purchase of PPE kits and other medical equipment by the WB Health Department. Huge funds were provided by the Central Govt at that time to bolster the efforts to fight against the virus collectively," Adhikari posted from his official X handle."I have written a letter to the Director; .

ED searches realty major DLF in money laundering case against Supertech

The Enforcement Directorate has searched the premises of realty major DLF in Gurugram as part of a money laundering investigation against real estate firm Supertech and its promoters, official sources said Saturday. The central agency has recovered some documents during the action that was carried out over the past few days, they said. The action is linked to the ED investigation against Supertech, the sources said. An email sent by PTI to DLF did not elicit an immediate response. The ED had arrested Supertech promoter R K or Ram Kishor Arora in this case in June. It had then alleged that Arora was the main controlling person of the group who decided to "divert" crores of funds of investors and homebuyers to various shell companies. The money laundering case, filed under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stems from as many as 26 FIRs registered by the police departments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh against Supertech Limited and its gro

Kerala HC allows ED to summon CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac in KIIFB case

The Kerala High Court has granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate to issue fresh summons to senior CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac, allowing the agency to continue its investigation into alleged violations in the financial dealings of KIIFB during his tenure as the state Finance Minister in the previous LDF government. In an interim order dated November 24, the high court clarified that this decision is subject to further orders from the court and scheduled the matter for further consideration on December 1. The court issued this order in response to a plea filed by Isaac, who sought the quashing of the two summons issued to him by the ED. These summons are part of the agency's probe into alleged violations in the financial dealings of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). "...the pendency of these writ petitions will not stand in the way of the ED issuing fresh summons to any person, including the petitioners, and to continue the investigation; however, ...

Mahadev app: 'Courier' alleges frame-up, denies delivering cash to anyone

An alleged courier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Mahadev betting app case on Friday submitted before a special court here that he had been framed up as part of a conspiracy and he had never delivered cash to politicians. Asim Das, the alleged cash courier, and constable Bhim Singh Yadav were arrested by the ED on November 3, four days before the first phase of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections. The duo were on Friday produced before Ajay Singh Rajput, a special judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases, upon expiry of their judicial remand, Das's lawyer Shoaib Alvi told PTI. The court extended their judicial custody for seven days, he added. Das had written a letter from the jail to the Director of the ED and also sent copies to higher authorities including the Prime Minister's Office on November 17 stating that he was being implicated in the case and the central investigating agency forced him to sign a statement in English, a language he does not

AAP leader Satyendar Jain's interim bail extended by SC till December 4

The Supreme Court on Friday extended the interim bail granted to former Delhi minister Satyendar Kumar Jain in a money laundering case till December 4 when his plea for regular bail will be taken up for hearing. A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi posted the matter for hearing on December 4 as Justice A S Bopanna, who is presiding over the case, was not available today. "In the meanwhile, the interim bail, granted earlier, is extended till the next date of hearing, the bench said. Prior to this, the top court had extended the interim bail of Jain till October 9 and asked him to not make the pendency of the proceedings before it a ruse to delay the trial in the case. The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that the AAP leader was seeking repeated adjournments in the trial court on grounds that his bail plea was pending before the apex court. The probe agency has alleged that Jain has taken as many as 16 dates from the trial court. The apex court had on May 26 granted interim bail to

SC defers hearing on pleas for reconsideration of 2022 PMLA verdict

The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned by eight weeks the hearing on pleas seeking reconsideration of its July 27, 2022 verdict, which had upheld the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) powers to arrest and attach property under the PMLA. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul deferred the hearing, which continued since Wednesday, after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, sought time to address the arguments raised by the petitioners in detail. The bench also comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M Trivedi allowed the amendment application moved by the petitioner's side, by which various 'new aspects' have been raised, and asked the Centre to file its reply within four weeks. The apex court said that the rejoinder to the Centre's reply be filed within four weeks thereafter. "The deferment will leave really no time for this court to pen down the order," the bench said, adding, "the Chief Justice of India will have to reconstitute the bench, i

ED summons actor Prakash Raj in case linked to Rs 100 crore 'ponzi scam'

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned actor Prakash Raj for questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged Rs 100 crore ponzi and fraud case against a Tiruchirapalli-based jewellery group, official sources said Thursday. The investigation pertains to a case against Pranav Jewellers, a partnership firm based in Tiruchirapalli, whom it had raided on November 20 and claimed to have seized "unexplained" cash of Rs 23.70 lakh and some gold jewellery. Raj (58) has been a brand ambassador of this company. He has been asked to depose before the federal agency in Chennai next week. The actor, who has played various roles in Hindi and South Indian movies, has been an outspoken critic of the BJP. The ED case stems from an FIR of the Tamil Nadu Police Economic Offences Wing. According to the police complaint, Pranav Jewellers and others collected Rs 100 crore from the public under the guise of a gold investment scheme with the promise of high returns, the federal agency said in