Page 19 - Money Laundering Case

ED questions Delhi CM Kejriwal's PA in excise policy money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's PA Bibhav Kumar in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy, officials said. Kumar deposed before the federal probe agency here and the investigators are recording his statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. His questioning is understood to be related to the ED's charges made before the court that at least 36 accused, including Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Bibhav Kumar, "destroyed or used" 170 phones to conceal evidence of "kickbacks" worth thousand of crores of rupees in the alleged scam. The ED, till now, has filed two charge sheets or prosecution complaints in this case and has arrested a total of nine people. The ED has alleged in a charge sheet submitted to the court that a part of the alleged Rs 100 crore "kickbacks" generated in the scrapped Delhi excise policy were ..

SC dismisses Rana Ayyub's plea challenging Ghaziabad special court summons

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging summons by the Ghaziabad special court in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices V Ramasubramanian and JB Pardiwala allowed Ayyub to raise the issue of jurisdiction before the trial court, saying it is a question of evidence. On January 31, the top court had reserved its verdict on a plea of Ayyub challenging the summons. On January 25, the top court had asked a special court in Ghaziabad to adjourn the proceedings in the money laundering case against Ayyub scheduled for hearing on January 27 to a date after January 31. In her writ petition, Ayyub has sought quashing of the proceedings initiated by the ED in Ghaziabad citing lack of jurisdiction as the alleged offence of money laundering occurred in Mumbai. On November 29 last year, the special PMLA court in Ghaziabad took cognisance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the ED and summoned Ayyub. The ED charge sheet was filed

SC reserves verdict on plea of journalist Rana Ayyub against summons

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a plea of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued by a special court in Ghaziabad in the money laundering case. A bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice J B Pardiwala said it will pass orders on the plea. During the hearing, advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Ayyub, submitted, "Can her personal liberty be deprived by a procedure not authorised by law?" She submitted that the Ghaziabad special court has no jurisdiction to try the offence as the alleged act is said to have been committed in Mumbai. Grover said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the journalist's personal bank account in a bank at Navi Mumbai in which around Rs 1 crore was lying. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, said the prosecution complaint has been filed in the Ghaziabad court by the agency as part of the cause of action had arisen in Uttar Pradesh, where a lot of people, including from Ghaziabad, contribute

Enforcement Directorate can only probe money laundering cases: Delhi HC

The court ruled that the primary responsibility for investigating and prosecuting crimes specified as scheduled offences under the PMLA belongs to the authorities established by those separate acts

ED attaches Rs 76.54 cr worth assets of accused in Excise policy scam

Houses located in upscale localities of Delhi and Mumbai, restaurants, 50 vehicles and bank deposits worth Rs 76.54 crore of various accused, including an AAP functionary, an alleged close associate of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and an associate of Telangana chief minister's daughter, have been attached in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case, the ED said Wednesday. It said in a statement that the agency has issued a provisional attachment order, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), for freezing the properties. The properties belong to arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair, Arun Pillai, a Hyderabad-based liquor businessman and a partner in a company called Robin Distilleries LLP whom the ED had said represented the 'south group' alleged cartel linked to Telangana chief minister's MLC daughter Kavitha and others, liquor businessman Sameer Mahandru, his wife Geetika Mahandru and their company Indospirit Group. The assets

Court grants 2 days to ED to reply on Jacqueline's plea for foreign travel

A Delhi court on Wednesday granted two days to the ED to reply to an application of Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez seeking permission to travel to Dubai. Fernandez, an accused in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case also involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, has sough the court's permission to travel to Dubai from January 27 to 30. Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik, who was scheduled to hear arguments on the actor's application on Wednesday, posted the matter for January 27 after the agency sought time to file a detailed reply to her application. The actor did not appear before the court on Wednesday and was represented by her lawyer. Fernandez had on December 22 withdrew from the court her plea for permission to go abroad to meet her family members, after the judge suggested that let the question of charge first be decide. She was granted regular bail in the case on November 15, 2022. Fernandez was not arrested in the case. The judge had on August 31 take

Excise policy 'scam': ED attaches Rs 76.54 cr worth assets under PMLA

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has attached houses located in upscale localities of Delhi and Mumbai, restaurants, 50 vehicles and bank deposits worth Rs 76.54 crore in a money laundering case probe linked to the Delhi excise policy 'scam'. The properties belong to arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair, liquor businessman Sameer Mahandru, his wife and company Indospirit Group, businessman Dinesh Arora, Arun Pillai, Amit Arora, director of liquor company Buddy Retail Pvt Limited, and others, the agency said in a statement. An order for the provisional attachment of the assets has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The money laundering stems from a CBI FIR. Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and other excise officials of the government were named as accused in the CBI and the ED complaints. In its FIR, the CBI has alleged that Sisodia and other accused public servants recommended and took decisions pertaini

Hearing in money-laundering case against Sanjay Raut adjourned till Feb 27

Rajya Sabha member Raut was present before special judge R N Rokade on Tuesday

Rs 635-cr money laundering: ED files charge sheet against Maharashtra MLA

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge-sheet against Maharashtra MLA Ratnakar Gutte before a special court here in connection with an alleged multi-crore loan fraud. As per the probe agency, Gutte, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha MLA from Gangakhed in Parbhani district, is accused of laundering Rs 635 crore through Gangakhed Sugar and Energy Private Limited (GSEPL), of which he was chairman. Gutte, as per the ED charge-sheet, tied up with several banks between 2012 and 2017 and obtained agricultural loans by using documents like PAN and property details of farmers. The GSEPL was an agent in this agreement. As per the ED, banks sanctioned Rs 772.31 crore, of which Rs 635.89 crore were disbursed in fictitious accounts created in the name of farmers using these documents, and the money was siphoned off. A sum of Rs 272 crore is pending for repayment, the ED said, adding it has attached 22 immovable properties, bank accounts and other movable properties worth Rs 255 crore connected

Suspended Jharkhand IAS officer gets interim bail in money laundering case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to suspended Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal in a money laundering case to look after her ailing daughter. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka also directed the Enforcement Directorate to respond in three weeks to Singhal's main bail plea. Appearing for the anti-money laundering probe agency, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju said the plea was incorrect and devoid of merits. I will be the last person to oppose such pleas, the law officer said. The top court, which has now listed the suspended IAS officer's plea for hearing on February 6, has imposed some conditions, including that she will not visit Ranchi unless a court case is listed for hearing in the city. Singhal has been in custody since May 11 after raids were conducted at properties linked to her. The ED has accused Singhal, a former state mines department secretary, of money laundering and said its team seized more than Rs 36 crore

Maharashtra's ex-minister Anil Deshmukh walks out jail after 14 months

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday stepped out of the Arthur Road Central Jail here on bail after spending almost 14 months behind bars

ED attaches assets worth Rs 1.88 cr of former Odisha govt cleaning staffer

Assets worth Rs 1.88 crore of a former cleaning assistant working with the Odisha government have been attached under the anti-money laundering law, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said Wednesday. The properties belong to Lingaraj Jena, the former 'safei mohareer' (cleaning assistant), posted in the office of the additional sub-collector (settlement) in Puri district. The money laundering case of the ED stems from a case of alleged possession of disproportionate assets filed by the Odisha vigilance directorate against Jena. The charge sheet filed by the vigilance directorate said Jena had "illicitly enriched" himself and his family members by acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, totalling Rs 1.88 crore. The ED probe in the case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) found that Jena "acquired monetary proceeds through indulgence in criminal activities, concealed it and invested the same in the acquisition of various assets.

Bombay HC refuses to extend stay on ex-Maha minister Anil Deshmukh's bail

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh is likely to walk out of jail on Wednesday as the Bombay High Court has refused to extend its stay on an order granting him bail in a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He has been in jail since November 2021 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in an alleged money laundering case. Deshmukh, 73, who has denied the allegations levelled against him, is in judicial custody at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai. Justice M S Karnik had granted bail to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader on December 12, but stayed the order for 10 days as the CBI sought time to challenge it in the Supreme Court. The probe agency moved the apex court but the appeal would be heard only in January 2023 as the court is closed for vacation. Last week, the high court had extended the stay till December 27 on the CBI's request. On Tuesday, the central agency sought another extension. Deshmukh's lawyers Ani

C'garh bureaucrat's ED custody extended by 4 days in alleged coal levy scam

A special court in Chhattisgarh's Raipur on Saturday extended the Enforcement Directorate custody of Saumya Chaurasia, a deputy secretary posted in the office of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, for four days in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal levy scam in the state. Additional District and Sessions Judge Ajay Singh Rajput extended the ED remand of Chaurasia after she was produced before the court on expiry of her current custody, said her lawyer Faizal Rizvi. Chaurasia will be produced in the court again on December 14, he added. Chaurasia was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on December 2. As per the ED, a cartel of senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen were involved in illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne of coal being transported in the state. The ED carried out raids across the state on October 11 and had arrested IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi, coal trader Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and businessman Sun

ED arrests Chhattisgarh CM's deputy secy in money laundering case

Chaurasia, considered a powerful bureaucrat, was arrested under the PMLA after questioning

BS-IV vehicle scam: ED probes Ashok Leyland's role, attaches properties

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said that it has attached properties worth Rs 22.10 crore of firms in a Prevention of Money Laundering case relating to the BS-IV vehicle scam

Delhi HC allows Mehbooba Mufti to withdraw plea challenging PMLA provision

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday permitted PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti to withdraw her petition challenging the constitutional validity of a provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The lawyer appearing for the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister told a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad about her decision to withdraw the petition which was filed in March 2021. The petition also challenged the summons issued to her by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case and sought a stay which the court had earlier declined. The court was informed the issues raised by the petitioner have already been addressed by the Supreme Court in a decision. Mufti had in her plea sought declaring section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act void and inoperative, being unfairly discriminatory, bereft of safeguards, and violative of Article 20(3) of the Constitution. Section 50 of the Act empowers the ED authority to summon

PMLA case: HC to hear ED's plea against bail granted to Raut on Dec 12

The Bombay High Court on Monday said it would hear on December 12 the application filed by the Enforcement Directorate seeking cancellation of bail granted to Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case. Apart from the Shiv Sena leader, the ED has also challenged the bail granted to co-accused Pravin Raut. Last week, a single bench of Justice M S Karnik had recused itself from hearing the matter. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for ED, on Monday mentioned the matter before another single bench of Justice Anuja Prabhudessai and sought urgent hearing. Justice Prabhudessai posted the matter for hearing on December 12. Sanjay Raut and Pravin Raut were granted bail by a special court on November 9. They were arrested in a money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment project in Goregaon in Mumbai. The ED moved HC on the same day and sought an urgent interim stay on the bail order. The HC had, at the time, refused to pass any inte

Delhi HC grants bail to former YES Bank MD Kapoor in money laundering case

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted bail to former MD and CEO of YES Bank, Rana Kapoor, in a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate. The order was pronounced by Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain on the bail application by Kapoor. The case pertains to Enforcement Directorate's probe against Gautam Thapar, Avantha Realty Ltd (ARL), Oyster Buildwell Pvt Ltd (OBPL), and several others alleging criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal conspiracy, and forgery for diversion or misappropriation of public money during the 2017 to 2019 period. The agency had earlier told the trial court that the investigation revealed that approximately Rs 500 crore proceeds of crime were laundered through OBPL, Jhabua Power Limited (JPL), Jhabua Power Investment Ltd. (JPIL), Avantha Power and Infrastructure Ltd (APIL), ARL, etc. which were being controlled and beneficially owned directly or indirectly by Thapar. The trial court had, in October last year, taken cognizance of ED's ..

Attempts made to frame Sisodia in fake excise scam case: Delhi CM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the excise policy scam case "fake" on Friday and alleged that attempts were made to frame his deputy Manish Sisodia in it, whereas the CBI found nothing against him in its probe. "Manish's name is not in the CBI chargesheet. The whole case is fake. Nothing was found in the raids. A total of 800 officers found nothing in the probe for four months. Manish offered hope of a good future to crores of poor children in the country through a revolution in education. I am sorry that a conspiracy was hatched to defame such a person by implicating him in a false case," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its first chargesheet in the excise policy scam case against seven accused, including two businessmen, on Friday. Besides the two arrested businessmen, the head of a television news channel, a Hyderabad-based liquor trader, a Delhi-based liquor distributor and two excise department officials have been ..