An Enforcement Directorate team on Monday visited the residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in connection with a money laundering investigation, official sources said. The sources indicated that the visit could be linked to his fresh deposition in an alleged land fraud case in which the ED had questioned him at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20. The agency had issued fresh summons to him last week asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31, sources had said. The investigation pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the agency.
Amid the Enforcement Directorate issuing a fresh summons to Chief Minister Hemant Soren asking him to join the investigation in a money laundering case, the JMM leader on Saturday departed for the national capital sparking off speculations regarding the sudden visit. His trip to Delhi came in the backdrop of the ED asking him whether he would be available for questioning on either January 29 or January 31. "The visit was not planned. The sudden plan was made after the issuance of a fresh summons by the ED. He has his scheduled events lined up including a programme in Chaibasa on January 29, in Palamu on January 30 and in Giridih on January 31," an official who did not wish to be quoted said. A source said he went to Delhi for legal consultations. However, this could not be corroborated from the Chief Minister's Office though officials confirmed that he left for Delhi. So far as known, the CM is scheduled to return on Sunday, said the source. Earlier in the day, Soren visited Raj .
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam on Saturday
The superintendent of Arthur Road jail shall arrange sufficient escort at the expenses of the applicant (Goyal), the court said
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea by realtor Sanjay Chhabria against an order of the Bombay High Court which refused to grant him default bail in the Yes Bank money laundering case. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal said the offence is serious and the high court considered everything. The counsel appearing for Chhabria then withdrew the plea and the matter was dismissed as withdrawn. A single bench of Justice M S Karnik on October 9 had dismissed Chhabria's petition seeking default bail on the grounds that though the Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted its prosecution complaint against him within the mandatory 60-day period, it had also sought permission from the special court to carry on further probe in the case. The ED's case was that while the probe against Chhabria was complete, the investigation regarding the case was still on. The high court had agreed with the agency and said the offence of money laundering involves multiple ..
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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
A Delhi court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia till February 3 in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam after they appeared through video conferencing from Tihar Jail. The court also reserved its order on a bail application of Sarvesh Mishra, a close aid of Singh and an accused in the case. Both Singh and Sisodia were produced before the court through video conference on the expiry of their judicial custody granted earlier in the case. The official concerned told the court that the accused could not be produced physically due to security reasons and lack of police personnel because of Republic Day preparations. Also, Special Judge M K Nagpal reserved for January 24 the order on the bail application of Mishra, who had moved the plea after he appeared before the court in pursuance to the summons issued by the judge. The judge had summoned Mishra after taking cognisance of a charge sheet filed against him an
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
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
Former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda was on Wednesday questioned by the ED in connection with a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in land acquisition at Manesar during 2004-07, official sources said. The agency recorded the statement of the 76-year-old Hooda under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The Enforcement Directorate probe pertains to "illegal" acquisition of land in Haryana's Manesar between 2004 and 2007 with the alleged connivance of senior government functionaries and bureaucrats. Several farmers and land owners had alleged that they had been cheated to the tune of about Rs 1,500 crore in this land acquisition case. The agency had filed a PMLA case in the alleged land scam deal in September, 2016 on the basis of a Haryana Police FIR. The CBI too is probing the case.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here on Friday, his third deposition in less than a month, for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged issuance of visas to some Chinese nationals in 2011, sources said. The 52-year-old legislator from Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu was questioned in this case on December 23 last year and January 2 and the central agency recorded his statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Karti went to the ED headquarters in Delhi for the third time on Friday morning. It is understood that his deposition was in connection with the Chinese visa linked PMLA case this time too. The MP had called the summons in this case a "routine affair and things that happen routinely especially when elections come near". "These are all exercises in futility. We will go through them," he had told reporters while deposing earlier this month. The money laundering case, filed un
He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 14 last year under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA)
The Supreme Court on Thursday extended by six months the interim bail of former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal extended the medical bail granted to Malik after Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, said the probe agency has no objection to it. On October 12 last year, the top court extended by three months the interim bail of Malik in the case. Malik had moved the top court against the Bombay High Court's July 13, 2023, order denying him bail on medical grounds in the case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The top court had earlier noted that Malik is suffering from kidney ailment and his condition has not improved since August 11 last year when he was granted interim bail for two months. The ED had arrested Malik in February 2022 in the case allegedly linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. Malik ha
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of Shive Sena (UBT) MLA Ravindra Waikar and some of his linked entities in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in construction of a luxury hotel in Jogeshwari area of the city, official sources said. About seven locations in Mumbai are being searched by the agency, they said. These include the premises of Waikar and some of his partners and others, the sources said. Waikar, 64, is a Sena MLA from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction and represents the Jogeshwari east constituency in the Maharashtra assembly. The money laundering case of the ED stems from a Mumbai Police economic offences wing (EOW) FIR that accuses the legislator of illegally obtaining approval for the construction of a five-star hotel on a plot reserved for a garden. It is alleged that this deal caused a huge loss to the BMC.
A court here on Monday reserved its order on the bail application of Hari Om Rai, the managing director of Lava International Company arrested in a money laundering case against Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo. Additional Sessions Judge Kiran Gupta reserved the order for January 12 after hearing the arguments of the counsels appearing for the accused and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Senior advocate Vikaram Chaudhari and advocate Nitesh Rana, appearing for Rai, told the court that he has several medical ailments, and due to these, "keeping him in jail might be disastrous". "Although the doctors in jail are good, but keeping him there will worsen his condition," the court was told by the advocates. The application was opposed by the ED. The agency said that if released on bail, the accused may tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. Rana had earlier told the court that though Rai's company and Vivo were in talks to launch a joint venture in India a decade ago, he had nothing
The premises of Karnataka Congress MLA K Y Nanjegowda and some of his linked entities were raided on Monday morning by the Enforcement Directorate as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said. The 61-year-old legislator represents the Malur assembly seat in Kolar district. The officials of the central agency are covering the MLA's premises and those of his linked entities in Malur and Kolar as part of a investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The ED case of money laundering is understood to have been filed on the basis of some local police FIRs related to alleged irregularities in the appointment of staff in the Kolar-Chikkaballapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd (KOMUL), of which he is the president, and some other charges. The office and plant of the milk cooperative in Kolar are also being searched, the sources said. As per KOMUL, it is Karnataka's second highest milk producing district ...
A court here has allowed AAP leader Sanjay Singh, arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam, to physically visit the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha election in connection with the filing of nomination papers. Special Judge M K Nagpal, who had earlier allowed Singh to sign certain documents related to his re-nomination for Rajya Sabha polls, passed the direction on an application filed by the politician. The judge directed Tihar jail authorities to produce Singh before the returning officer on January 8 and 10 "to enable him to submit his nomination papers in connection with the said election and also for scrutiny thereof". "The accused shall be permitted to remain there till the above process of nomination and scrutiny of the documents is completed," the judge directed in an order passed on January 6. The politician submitted that his present term as a Member of Rajya Sabha is expiring on January 27, 2024, and the returning officer has alrea
A court here has allowed AAP MP Sanjay Singh, arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam, to sign forms and documents for his Rajya Sabha renomination. Special Judge M K Nagpal passed the order on an application filed by the politician, who submitted that his present term as a member of the Rajya Sabha is expiring on January 27 and the Returning Officer has issued a notice on January 2 for conduct of the election and nominations for the same are to be submitted by January 9. The application sought a direction to the Tihar Jail Superintendent to allow Singh to sign the documents. "It is being directed that if the documents are presented by counsel for accused before jail authorities on January 6, 2024, the jail superintendent shall ensure that the signatures of the accused are permitted to be taken on said documents and he is also permitted to meet his Counsel for half-an-hour to discuss the modalities in connection with filing of the said nomination
A sessions court here on Thursday extended Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji's remand till January 11. The DMK leader, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14, 2023 in a money laundering case, is presently lodged at the Puzhal prison here. Principal Sessions Judge S Alli, before whom Balaji was produced by the prosecution through video-conferencing from the prison, extended his judicial custody. Balaji was arrested by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister during an earlier AIADMK regime. Soon after his arrest, he underwent a bypass surgery at a private hospital. Later, the ED took him into custody for interrogation and following that he was remanded in judicial custody. His remand was periodically extended by the court.