Page 73 - Enforcement Directorate

SC to hear Sisodia's bail plea in excise scam case filed by CBI, ED

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the bail pleas of Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia on July 14 in the excise policy scam case probed by the CBI and the money laundering matter arising out of it. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha agreed to hear the matter after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the former Delhi deputy chief minister, urged the court to take it up for hearing on grounds that his wife was seriously ill and hospitalised. The bench said although the matter is listed for hearing on July 17, it will take it up for hearing on July 14. Last week, Sisodia had moved the top court seeking bail in the CBI and ED cases related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. He has moved the apex court challenging the two orders of the Delhi High Court dismissing his bail petitions in these cases. Sisodia, who also held the excise portfolio among many that he handled as the deputy chief minister of Delhi, was first arrested by

Govt allows ED to share data with GSTN, move to help recovery of GST

The government has amended provisions of the money laundering Act to allow enforcement directorate (ED) to share information with GST Network. The move would help recovery of Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded through money laundering. GSTN handles the technology backbone of the indirect tax regime and is the repository of all GST-related information, including return, tax filing and other compliances. As per the amendment to the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, GSTN has been included in the list of entities with which ED will share information. AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said notifying GSTN under PMLA would enable a legal framework under which high-value tax offenders can be traced, apprehended made liable to pay due taxes. GSTN can pass on relevant information on probable tax offenders to jurisdictional officers so as to initiate proceeding under GST law for scrutiny, adjudication and recovery of taxes, Mohan added. Nangia ...

ED running fake news of attaching Rs 52 cr assets of Sisodia: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused the BJP-led Centre of defaming AAP leader Manish Sisodia by running "fake news" of the Enforcement Directorate attaching assets worth Rs 52 crore belonging to the jailed leader in the Delhi excise policy case. He said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has, in fact, attached properties worth Rs 80 lakh of Sisodia and his wife. The ED on Friday said it has attached two immovable assets of Sisodia and his wife apart from bank deposits worth Rs 11.49 lakh of the ex-deputy chief minister in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said in Hindi, "Prime Minister, when you did not find anything against Manish Sisodia, you started defaming him through ED. Your ED is running fake news on TV channels saying that Rs 52 crore worth assets of Manish Sisodia have been attached." Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, clarified that in reality, Rs 80 lakh worth of assets have been attached. T

Dinesh Arora worked on behalf of AAP leaders Sisodia, Vijay Nair: ED

Businessman Dinesh Arora, a CBI witness in the Delhi excise policy case, was "one of the main conspirators" in this alleged scam and was working on behalf of AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Vijay Nair, the Enforcement Directorate alleged before a local court on Friday. The federal agency arrested Arora late on Thursday night after prolonged questioning. It produced him before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court of Judge M K Nagpal on Friday which sent him to ED custody till July 11. "Dinesh Arora is one of the main conspirators in the entire Delhi excise policy scam who was working on behalf of (former Delhi deputy chief minister) Manish Sisodia and (AAP communication in-charge) Vijay Nair. He is a close associate of Manish Sisodia and other prominent AAP leaders. "On the directions of Manish Sisodia, Dinesh Arora connected with Vijay Nair and became part of the Delhi excise scam-related conspiracy and consequent acts of money laundering," the ED alleged while

ED attaches assets worth over Rs 52 crore of Manish Sisodia, others

The Enforcement Directorate Friday said it has attached assets worth more than Rs 52 crore of arrested AAP leader Manish Sisodia, his wife and some other accused in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to attach among others immovable properties (worth Rs 7.29 crore) comprising two assets of Manish Sisodia and his wife Seema Sisodia, land/flat of another accused Rajesh Joshi (director of Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd.) and land/flat of Gautam Malhotra. The attachment also includes movable assets worth Rs 44.29 crore including bank balances of Manish Sisodia worth Rs 11.49 lakh, Brindco Sales Pvt. Ltd. (amount of Rs 16.45 crore) and others, the agency said in a statement. The total attachment value is Rs 52.24 crore, the ED said. Sisodia, a former deputy chief minister of Delhi, was arrested by the ED in this case in March and he is currently in judicial custody. It is alleged by t

ED arrests CBI's approver Dinesh Arora in excise policy laundering case

In a major arrest in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night took into its custody businessman Dinesh Arora, an accused who has been declared prosecution witness in the same case being probed by CBI. Arora was arrested under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a long session of questioning. The agency is expected to produce him before a local court on Friday. Dinesh Arora has been questioned by the ED earlier too. But this time, he was evasive in his replies and was not cooperating with the agency following which he was arrested, sources said. The businessman was allegedly a close associate of Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia who is also an accused in the excise policy case and has been arrested by the ED as well as the CBI. The ED, in a supplementary charge sheet, has accused Sisodia of receiving bribes from Amit Arora, another businessm

Excise policy scam: Sisodia moves SC seeking bail in CBI, ED cases

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking bail in the CBI and ED cases arising out of the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. He has moved the apex court challenging the two orders of the Delhi High Court which had dismissed his separate bail petitions in these cases. Sisodia, who also held the excise portfolio among many that he handled as the deputy chief minister of Delhi, was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the "scam", and has been in custody since then. He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28. The high court had on May 30 denied bail to him in the excise policy scam case being probed by the CBI, saying having been the deputy chief minister and excise minister, he is a "high-profile" person who has the potential to influence the witnesses. On July 3, the high court had declined him bail in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the city government's excise policy, holding

Chhattisgarh 'liquor scam' generated Rs 2,161 cr corruption money: ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that Rs 2,161 crore of corruption money was generated in the alleged "liquor scam" that began in 2019 in Chhattisgarh with the syndicate comprising senior bureaucrats of state, politicians, their associates and officials of the Excise Department. In its prosecution complaint filed on Tuesday before a special court here in a money laundering case linked to alleged liquor scam in the state, the central agency said this Rs 2,161 crore amount should have gone to the state exchequer. It named Anwar Dhebar, brother of Congress leader and Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, Managing Director of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) Arunpati Tripathi, liquor businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon, hotelier Nitesh Purohit and Arvind Singh as accused. The 'prosecution complaint' along with relied upon documents, in 13,000 pages, was filed in the court under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), said ED's counsel Saurabh .

M3M case: Salve seeks SC intervention in curbing ED's 'drastic powers'

M3M money laundering case: Representing a real estate firm, senior advocate Harish Salve said that no one will be safe in India unless the ED's drastic powers are reined in

ED arrests ex chairman of Pune cooperative bank in loan fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it has arrested the former chairman of a Pune-based cooperative bank on money laundering charges in a case linked to alleged fraud and misappropriation of funds of the lender worth Rs 429 crore. Amar Sadhuram Mulchandani, the ex-chairman of Seva Vikas Cooperative Bank, was arrested on July 1 and a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court sent him to ED custody till July 7, the federal probe agency said in a statement. "The arrest is made in connection with the ongoing investigation in the Seva Vikas Cooperative Bank fraud case in which the bank suffered a loss of Rs 429 crore in 124 NPA (non performing assets) loan accounts." "This has caused the bank to go bankrupt causing loss to thousands of small depositors," the ED said. This is the fifth arrest by the agency in this case. The ED had earlier arrested a man named Sagar Suryawanshi, who took loans from the cooperative bank, two ED staffers working on contract at its ..

Anil Ambani's wife Tina appears before ED in connection with FEMA case

Tina Ambani, the wife of Reliance ADA Group Chairman Anil Ambani, on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here for questioning and recording her statement in connection with an investigation linked to the alleged contravention of the foreign exchange law, official sources said. Anil Ambani had recorded his statement in the case on Monday under sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and he is expected to appear before the federal agency again later this week for completion of the exercise. The investigation against the couple pertains to the possession of certain alleged undisclosed assets abroad and linked movement of funds, the sources said. Anil Ambani's alleged links to some offshore companies based in Jersey, British Virgin Islands and Cyprus are under the probe scanner of the ED. He had been questioned by the agency in 2020 in a money laundering case against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others. In August last year, the income-tax ...

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Excise policy scam: SC dismisses ED's plea against bail to Sameer Mahendru

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea of the Enforcement Directorate challenging the six-week interim bail granted to liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M Trivedi told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, that it is not going to interfere with the order of the Delhi High Court. Raju submitted that the Delhi High Court order is "shocking" and is based on wrong facts and cannot be treated as a precedent. The bench said, "Sorry, for six weeks bail, we are not going to interfere. The period is going to run itself out in the next 10-15 days". On June 12, the high court had granted six-week interim bail on medical grounds to Mahendru in the money laundering case. The high court had observed that the accused was suffering from life-threatening diseases warranting immediate medical attention and post-opera

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Covid-19 centres scam: IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal appears before ED

IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal on Friday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities over jumbo COVID centres set up by Mumbai civic body BMC during the pandemic, an official said. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer was seen entering the ED office at Ballard Estate in South Mumbai around 11.30 am. The agency, which investigates offences of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws, had on June 21 raided 15 places linked to some people, including the IAS officer. Jaiswal had served as an additional commissioner in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). ED had recovered jewellery worth nearly Rs 2.4 crore, Rs 68 lakh cash and property-related documents during those raids, said the official. Jaiswal had been asked to appear before the ED to record his statement on Friday in connection with the case, he said. Jaiswal was summoned by the agency earlier too, but he had not appea

TN governor reserves dismissal order of Senthil Balaji to consult AG

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi has decided to keep the dismissal order of state minister V Senthil Balaji in abeyance for the time being and informed Chief Minister M K Stalin about it, sources said on Thursday. In a late evening communication to the chief minister, the governor said he would consult the attorney general and seek his legal opinion about the move. The order to dismiss Balaji from the Council of Ministers has been kept in abeyance by the governor until further communication, the sources said. Earlier, the governor had dismissed Balaji from the Council of Ministers, days after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged cash-for-jobs scam. Stalin had said the state government would challenge the governor's decision legally. In an official release, the Raj Bhavan in Chennai had said, "There are reasonable apprehensions that the continuation of V Senthil Balaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely impact the due process of law, including fair ...

Supertech's Arora main person who decided to divert homebuyers' funds: ED

The ED on Wednesday alleged R K Arora, owner of real estate company Supertech, was the group's main controlling person who decided to "divert" investors and homebuyers money worth crores of rupees to various shell companies. Ram Kishor Arora was arrested under the anti-money laundering law on Tuesday. Earlier on Wednesday, he was sent to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till July 10 by the court of Duty Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala. "The arrest is made in connection with the investigation being done against the Supertech Group for diverting, siphoning off and misappropriating funds of investors and customers," the ED said in a statement. 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 Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh police against Supertech Limited and its group companies on allegations of cheating 670 homebuyers to the tune of Rs 164 crore. "Huge amounts of mone

Delhi court sends Supertech's chairman R K Arora to ED custody till July 10

A Delhi court on Wednesday sent R K Arora, the owner of the real estate firm Supertech, to the ED's custody for interrogation till July 10 in a money-laundering case. Duty Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala sent Arora to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate on an application filed by the agency. The ED in its application seeking Arora's 14-day custody told the court that the accused was required to be interrogated to unearth a larger conspiracy in the case. The ED had taken Arora into custody Tuesday under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following a third round of questioning at the federal agency's office here. The money-laundering case against the Supertech group, and its directors and promoters, stems from a clutch of FIRs registered by the police in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta, appearing for the ED along with advocate Faizan Khan, told the court that the company and its directors had ..

ED attaches Maharashtra-based steel company's assets worth over Rs 517 cr

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has attached a Maharashtra-based steel company's assets worth more than Rs 517 crore under the anti-money laundering law in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud of over Rs 895 crore. The assets, including land, building and machinery, belong to SKS Ispat and Power Limited, the ED said in a statement. A provisional order for attaching these assets has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and their total value is Rs 517.81 crore. The investigation pertains to a money laundering case based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR against Tiruchirappalli-based boiler manufacturing company Cethar Limited that "availed" credit facilities of Rs 895.45 crore from a consortium of lenders led by the Indian Bank, SAM branch in Madurai. The ED said accounts of Cethar Limited turned NPA (non-performing asset) on December 31, 2012 and subsequently proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC

ED arrests Supertech's Chairman R K Arora in money laundering case

Earlier in April, the ED provisionally attached 25 immovable properties, valued at Rs 40.39 crore, belonging to the Supertech Group of Companies and their Directors in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh