NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal Appears Before ED in Money Laundering Case
Anti Corruption Bureau has filed a chargesheet against Chhagan Bhujbal, and others in a land grabbing case.
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Former Maharashtra PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday. This was in connection with a money laundering case registered against him and others.
The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, accompanied by MLC Jitendra Awhad, arrived at the ED office at Ballard Pier in South Mumbai amid tight security around 11.30 am.
A large number of party workers gathered outside the ED office and raised slogans even as prohibitory orders were put in place to avoid any untoward incident.
The agency is expected to record his statement in the case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED had registered a PMLA case involving the Bhujbals and some of their associates and has already arrested the ex-minister’s nephew Samir last month in the case who is currently lodged in the high security Arthur Road jail.
The ED also questioned Bhujbal’s son Pankaj in the same case last month.
The agency has filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of PMLA, based on Mumbai Police FIRs, to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case.
It had also brought out orders for attachment of three properties with an estimated worth of over Rs 280 crore in the case under money laundering laws.
The ED has twice conducted searches at nine premises, including properties and offices, belonging to the senior Bhujbal, Pankaj, Samir and few others which the NCP had then described as “political vendetta”.
The state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau has already filed a charge sheet against Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj, Sameer and 14 others in the Maharashtra Sadan scam case.
The new Maharashtra Sadan was built at the cost of Rs 100 crore when Congress-NCP coalition was in power in Maharashtra.
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