Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse was on Thursday, 8 July, questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office for more than nine hours. The leader has now been asked to submit the required documents before the federal agency.
After Thursday's questioning, Khadse's lawyer Mohan Tekwade said, "We have fully co-operated with the ED and will continue to do so. We have been called on to clarify Eknath Khadse's role in the case. ED has asked us to submit the documents of land purchase transaction at Bhosari to the ED office within 10 days. We will remain present for an inquiry whenever ED officials call us."
Earlier in the day, on his arrival at the ED office in Mumbai, Khadse had stated that the investigation is "politically motivated."
"I'll cooperate. Entire Maharashtra can see what is happening. Everyone knows this is politically motivated. Inquiry has already been done five times. It is being done again now. ACB has given a report that there is no evidence."Eknath Khadse
MORE DETAILS
On Wednesday, the ED had arrested his son-in-law Girish Chaudhary. Later in the day, a PMLA court in Pune remanded Chaudhary to ED custody till 12 July.
Chaudhary was arrested around 3 am on Wednesday after being questioned for over 13 hours, reported IANS quoting ED sources.
Citing sources, IANS reported that Choudhary was not cooperating in the land deal case thus had to be placed under arrest.
According to The Hindu, the ED’s latest move comes after it arrested two close aides of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on 26 June.
The Pune MIDC case pertains to the irregularities in the purchase of land at MIDC near Pune by Khadse and others allegedly in the case.
BACKGROUND
The ED had, in January, questioned Eknath Khadse for nearly seven hours in connection with a Pune MIDC land deal case, reported IANS, quoting sources.
A Revenue Minister in the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' Cabinet, Khadse had to quit in 2016 after his name cropped up in alleged wrongdoings in the Pune government land deal. He remained in the political wilderness, till he joined the NCP last year.
The Pune Anti Corruption Bureau had previously investigated this case, after which Khadse was given a clean chit. The Fadnavis government had also formed a committee to investigate the matter. But even in this investigation report, no concrete evidence had emerged against Khadse.
But after Khadse switched from the BJP to the NCP, once again, the ED has initiated a probe in this case.
According to an India Today report, Anti Corruption Bureau of Maharashtra had registered an FIR against Khadse, his wife Mandakini, Girish Choudhary and original land owner Abbas Aquani in 2017.
(With inputs from IANS, The Hindu and India Today)
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