Page 8 - Enforcement Directorate

Chhattisgarh coal scam: ED attaches more assets worth Rs 17.48 cr

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said that it has attached 51 immovable properties worth Rs 17.48 crore in the illegal coal levy extortion scam in Chhattisgarh

ED's power confined to probe money laundering offence, says Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has held that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has the power to investigate and inquire into an offence of money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) only and it cannot assume that a predicate offence has been committed. The high court said the predicate offence has to be necessarily investigated and tried by the authorities empowered by law in that regard and the ED cannot possibly arrogate unto itself the power to investigate into the alleged commission of those offences. What needs to be emphasised is that the PMLA empowers the ED to investigate Section 3 offences only. Its power to investigate and enquire stands confined to the offence of money laundering as defined in that section. However, the same cannot be read as enabling it to assume from the material, that it may gather in the course of that investigation, that a predicate offence stands committed. "The predicate offence has to be necessarily investigated and tried by the ...

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 case against Rana Ayyub: SC asks Ghaziabad court to adjourn proceedings

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked a special court in Ghaziabad, which has summoned journalist Rana Ayyub in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), to adjourn the proceedings scheduled for January 27 to a date after January 31. The apex court said it will hear on January 31 the petition of Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by the special court. A bench of Justices Krishna Murari and V Ramasubramanian was informed by advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Ayyub, that the petitioner has been summoned by the Ghaziabad court on January 27. "List on January 31. In the meantime, the Ghaziabad special court is requested to adjourn the proceedings...fixed for January 27 to a date after January 31," the bench said. The top court said this order is being passed because the hearing could not be concluded before it on Wednesday due to paucity of time and it is not a reflection on the merits of the matter. At the outset, the bench asked why the petition

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

Delhi HC rejects journalist Raghav Bahl's plea in ED money laundering case

A single-judge bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh dismissed the plea observing that the investigation is not over yet and the petition is premature

ED arrests TMC youth leader Kuntal Ghosh in teachers recruitment scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested Trinamool Congress youth leader Kuntal Ghosh for his alleged involvement in teachers recruitment scam, a senior official said

Charge sheet not 'public document', cannot be put in public domain: SC

The Supreme Court held that charge sheet filed in criminal cases by investigating agencies cannot be put in public domain for free access

SC agrees to hear plea of journalist Rana Ayyub in money laundering case

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the petition of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by a special PMLA court in Ghaziabad in a money laundering case lodged against her by ED

Covid-19 centre contracts probe: BMC chief at ED office to record statement

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Monday went to the Enforcement Directorate's office here in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities in award of contracts for COVID-19 care centres. The ED had summoned Chahal to record his statement in the matter. Chahal was seen entering the ED's office at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai at around 11.40 am. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya had alleged irregularities in the COVID-19 centers set up by the BMC. He had also filed a complaint at the Azad Maidan police station, based on which the police registered an FIR against a hospital management firm and some persons for allegedly submitting fake documents to obtain contracts of COVID-19 care centres.

ED alleges France's Pernod violated Delhi city rules to boost market share

Pernod Ricard violated the liquor policy of India's capital city by financially supporting retailers who in exchange stocked more of the French company's brands and boosted its market share, ED said

ED, I-T raids on Mushrif: MVA slams BJP for unleashing 'fear politics'

Mushrif is the third senior NCP leader after Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik, besides Shiv Sena (UT)'s Raut, facing the heat of the various probe agencies in the past couple of years

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

There will be no probe by Central agencies against CPI-M leaders: Congress

Since the BJP/RSS combine and the CPI-M are two sides of the same coin, there will be no probe against the CPI-M leaders by national agencies, a top Congress leader in Kerala said

Story in numbers: PMLA registrations up four-fold, higher than a decade ago

According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) data on PMLA, 5,422 cases are under investigation, 400 have been arrested and 25 convicted until March 31, 2022

ED freezes Rs 42.21 crore in relation to gaming application E-nuggets case

Enforcement Directorate carried out search operation on total 1548 bank accounts involved in cyber crimes and freezed amount of Rs 42.21 crore in case related to Mobile Gamming Application, E-nuggets

Court convicts former chemical & fertilisers ministry official in PMLA case

A special court in Bengaluru has convicted a former official of the ministry of chemical and fertilisers and his wife on money laundering charges for siphoning more than Rs 1.25 crore from the funds of the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology, the ED said on Friday. The designated PMLA court "convicted H N Arvind and Binu H Arvind for offences committed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and sentenced H N Arvind to rigorous imprisonment for a period of four years along with imposition of fine of Rs 1 lakh." "The court also sentenced Binu H Arvind to rigorous imprisonment for a period of three years along with imposition of fine of Rs 50,000," the Enforcement Directorate said in a statement. The money laundering case stems from an earlier CBI FIR that charged H N Arvind for siphoning off a sum of Rs 1,25,71,209 when he was working as a technician (grade-I) in the central institute of plastic engineering and technology in Mysuru (Karnataka). The ..

ED attaches Rs 4.09 cr worth of assets of former APSC board member

ED has attached assets worth Rs 4.90 crore of a former board member of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) in connection to a money laundering case, officials said on Thursday

ED raids Pure Milk Products' premises in loan fraud case, seizes Rs 1.15 cr

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it has seized Rs 1.15 crore cash, mobile phones and property documents after raiding the premises of a Punjab-based businessman in connection with a money laundering probe linked to an alleged bank loan fraud. The searches were launched on December 27 at 11 business and residential premises of Pure Milk Products Pvt. Ltd (PMPPL), its directors Charanjit Singh Bajaj, Livtar Bajaj and Gurdeep Kaur, their associated entities, along with the premises of their associates, the federal probe agency said in a statement. The money laundering case stems from a FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed against the accused earlier, it said. The CBI FIR had alleged that PMPPL "committed the offence of forgery, cheating, submission of forged documents as genuine and other offences, and credit facilities sanctioned by the bank to PMPPL was Rs 62.13 crore and the total NPA (non performing asset) amount was Rs 60.74 crore as on ...

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.