Page 3 - Money Laundering

Conspiracies against me will be foiled, says Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren

A day ahead of his appearance before the ED in a money laundering case, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren Wednesday slammed the BJP and said that every conspiracy hatched against him will be thwarted. In view of the ED's summons the ruling UPA in the state is holding back-to-back meetings. JMM is holding a separate meeting, while Congress has called a party legislators' meeting in the evening. A meeting of coalition partners is also likely to be held at the chief minister's residence in the evening, where RJD, which has a lone MLA, will be present. Soren slammed the BJP for the federal agency's summons but did not name it. By hook or by crook, they want to remove me from power. I will foil their conspiracy. He was speaking at a 'Milan Samaroh' in the chief minister's residence where a former BJP legislator of Giridih district, Jai Prakash Verma joined Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) along with his supporters. Some RJD leaders too joined the JMM at the programme. Soren said, We

Money laundering case: Court allows Nawab Malik to undergo diagnostic test

A special court here on Tuesday allowed the plea of former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, arrested in a money laundering case, seeking permission to undergo diagnostic examination PET-CT. The money laundering case against Malik (62) is linked to the activities of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. The NCP leader, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in February this year, is in judicial custody and currently undergoing treatment at a hospital here. On Monday, Malik, through his lawyer Taraq Sayyed, filed a plea seeking permission for undergoing PET-CT scan. Positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that can help reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of a person's tissues and organs. Special judge R N Rokade on Tuesday allowed his plea and directed the Arthur Road Jail superintendent to take Malik for the scan at the Nuclear Imaging Centre at Sarvodaya Hospital in suburban Ghatkopar. The expense for the scan will be borne by th

Delhi court grants bail to Jacqueline Fernandez in money laundering case

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to actor Jacqueline Fernandez in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar. Special Judge Shailendra Malik granted the relief on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety of like amount. The judge had on August 31 taken cognizance of a supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate and asked Fernandez to appear before the court. Fernandez, who was summoned by the ED several times in connection with the investigation, was named as an accused for the first time in the supplementary charge sheet. The ED's earlier charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet did not mention her as an accused. The documents, however, had mentioned the details of the statements recorded by Fernandez and fellow actor Nora Fatehi.

Nirav Modi loses appeal, UK rules suicide risk does not bar extradition

The 51-year-old fugitive diamond merchant has the option of further appeals in the UK and European courts and the process to bring him back to stand trial in India is unlikely to be a speedy one

Money laundering case: ED issues fresh summons to Hemant Soren for Nov 17

The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to appear before it in Ranchi on November 17 for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in the state, official sources said Wednesday. Soren, 47, was initially summoned by the federal probe agency on November 3 but he did not depose citing official engagements. He had then sought a three-week deferment of the summons. Official sources said the agency has now asked the CM to appear next week on November 17 at its regional office in state capital Ranchi for questioning and recording of his statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED has arrested Soren's political aide Pankaj Mishra and two others -- local muscleman Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash -- in this case. The agency has said it has "identified" proceeds of crime relating to illegal mining in the state to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore till now.

Money laundering case: Mukhtar Ansari's son, Mau MLA sent to ED remand

The court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him in the case registered at the Mahanagar police station in Lucknow in October 2019

ED files chargesheet against 19 people in Rs 2,215.98 cr fraud case

ED has learnt during the investigation that the accused individuals duped the innocent buyers by promising them to deliver flats/plots/commercial spaces, etc. However, they failed to deliver project

ED files charge sheet against SRS group, promoters in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against the SRS group and its promoters in a money laundering case linked to alleged cheating of homebuyers and investors. Nineteen accused persons and entities, including SRS group chairman Anil Jindal and company directors Jitender Kumar Garg, Praveen Kumar Kapoor and Vinod Jindal, have been named in the prosecution complaint filed under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency said in a statement. The complaint has been filed before a special PMLA court in Gurugram and the court took cognisance on October 31, it said. "The accused duped innocent buyers by promising them to deliver flats, plots, commercial spaces etc. however, they failed to deliver the projects. The real estate projects were mortgaged to avail loans from banks and other financial institutions," the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. However, it added, the loans were not used for the intended purposes and were defaulted, ..

Arrest me if I have committed serious offence: Jharkhand CM on ED summons

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday termed the Enforcement Directorate's summons to him as a weapon used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to target him and said if he has committed a serious offence then he should be directly arrested. Soren on Thursday skipped summons issued by the ED to face questioning in connection with a case of alleged illegal mining and arrived in Chhattisgarh to attend a pre-scheduled programme. The central agency had asked the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader to appear for questioning at its regional office in Ranchi. Speaking to reporters at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, the Jharkhand Chief Minister accused the BJP, which is in the Opposition in the eastern state, of hatching a conspiracy against him as his government is taking pro-people measures. Soren is here to attend the concluding ceremony of the three-day National Tribal Dance Festival and Chhattisgarh's statehood celebration event called 'Rajyotsava 2022'. Queried ..

Jharkhand CM skips ED summons, going to Chhattisgarh to attend tribal event

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday skipped summons issued by the Enforce Directorate to face questioning in connection with a case of alleged illegal mining, and is going to Chhattisgarh to attend a tribal programme instead. The ED had asked Soren to appear for questioning at its regional office here at 11 am but he did not go there. "The ED has summoned me following a conspiracy. Come and arrest me if I have committed a crime instead of sending a summons for questioning. I am neither afraid nor worried. Rather I am emerging stronger. If people of Jharkhand wish, opponents will not find a place to hide," Soren said while addressing JMM workers near his residence. He said he will fly to Raipur to attend a Tribal Mahotsav' during the day, for which he had received an invitation. The JMM executive president alleged that the BJP is making attempts to destabilise his democratically elected government ever since it was voted to power.

ED summons J'khand CM in money laundering case; asks to appear on Thursday

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning on November 3 in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in the state, officials said on Wednesday. Soren, 47, has been asked to appear before the federal probe agency at its regional office in the Hinoo area of state capital Ranchi at 11 am on Thursday. The agency wants to question and record the statement of the chief minister under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. Soren hit out at the BJP, alleging it was resorting to ''misusing'' institutions as it cannot face him politically. "We have also been called on the request of our Opposition. An attempt has been made to show how powerful the ED is... the people will give them the answer for every conspiracy,'' the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader tweeted. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier arrested Soren's political aide Pankaj Mishra and two others -- local muscleman Bachhu Yadav and Prem ..

EOW to probe allegations against firm owned by ex-CM Trivendra Rawat's aide

The Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of Uttarakhand Police will investigate allegations of money laundering of around Rs 200 crore against a company owned by the wife of a close aide of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. The BJP leader had to quit the top office in March 2021 following a "collective decision" by the party. Sworn in as CM on March 18, 2017, he had just nine days left to complete four years of his tenure when he had to call it quits. The BJP retained power in the state in the Assembly polls held earlier this year. The opposition parties led by the Congress have alleged that Dehradun-based Social Mutual Benefit Company Limited, owned by the wife of Rawat's former advisor K S Panwar, allegedly opened bank accounts in the names of thousands of people in a fraudulent manner from 2017 to 2020 and converted black money into white. They also claimed that Panwar had quit as the director of the company after becoming the chief minister's advisor and made his

FATF called for enhanced due diligence on Myanmar following blacklist: RBI

Earlier in February 2020, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran was put on blacklist by the anti-terror financing and anti-money laundering watchdog

Pakistan may exit global terror watchdog FATF's grey list on Friday

After four years, Pakistan on Friday may exit the grey list of the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering FATF, a development that will allow it to try to get foreign funding to tide over its precarious financial situation. Till June, Pakistan had completed most of the action items given to it 2018 by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and a few item which were left unfulfilled including its failure to take action against UN designated terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and his trusted aide and the group's 'operational commander' Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Azhar, Saeed and Lakhvi are most wanted terrorists in India for their involvement in numerous terrorist acts, including 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and bombing of a CRPF bus at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Pakistan was put in the inglorious list in 2018 for its failure to check risk of money laundering, leading to corruption and terro

Sanjay Raut's bail hearing to continue on Oct 21 in money laundering case

A special court on Tuesday said it would continue hearing on October 21 into the bail plea of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case. Special Judge M G Deshpande also extended Raut's judicial custody till October 21 after he was produced in the court at the end of his remand on Tuesday. In the court, Raut met NCP leader Eknath Khadse, who had come there to mark his presence in connection with a money laundering case lodged against him by Enforcement Directorate (ED). The two leaders spoke briefly during which Raut was heard telling Khadse he would be out of the prison soon. The ED's probe against Raut pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of a Patra Chawl (row tenement) and related financial transactions involving the Sena leader's wife and associates. On Tuesday, Raut's counsel Ashok Mundargi completed his rejoinder arguments during which he told the court that the allegations levelled agai

Less than 1% of illegal money gets recovered by agencies: Interpol

On a global level, the most significant rise was seen in organised crime which was prevalent in both, the digital as well as the physical world

Pak may exit FATF's grey list during watchdog's Oct 20-21 plenary: report

Pakistan is likely to exit the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) this week after it was placed in the infamous category since 2018 for failing to check money laundering and terrorist financing, a media report said on Monday. Pakistan was included in the increased monitoring list in June 2018 for deficiencies in its legal, financial, regulatory, investigations, prosecution, judicial and non-government sector to fight money laundering and combat terror financing considered serious threat to global financial system, the Dawn newspaper reported. The Paris-based global watchdog on money laundering and terrorist financing said that the first FATF Plenary under the two-year Singapore Presidency of T. Raja Kumar will take place on October 20-21. Pakistan has made high-level political commitments to address these deficiencies under a 27-point action plan. But later the number of action points was enhanced to 34. The country had since been vigorously working with FATF and i

ED 'completely independent'; not used for vindictive purpose: Sitharaman

The Enforcement Directorate is "completely independent" in what it does, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, refuting allegations that it is being used by the government for political or vindictive purposes. Speaking at a news conference on Saturday towards the end of her trip to Washington where she attended the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Sitharaman denied causing any kind of fear in the corporate sector and the civil societies through two of its wingsthe Income Tax and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Well, the ED is completely independent in what it does and it is an agency which follows on predicate offences. The first offence is already picked up by any other agency, whether it is a Central Bureau of Investigation or any other agency, and it is post that the ED comes into the picture, Sitharaman said. She dismissed fears that there is any malafide intent of using such institutions to go after sections of private capital and

IREO group money laundering case: ED attaches assets worth over Rs 1,300 cr

The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth more than Rs 1,317 crore of real estate group IREO, its managing director and vice president Lalit Goyal and associated entities as part of a money laundering investigation. The attached properties include land, commercial spaces, plots, residential houses and bank accounts, the federal agency said in a statement issued on Saturday. The total value of these attached properties is Rs 1,317.30 crore. The ED took cognisance of at least 30 FIRs filed in various police stations located in Gurugram, Panchkula, Ludhiana and Delhi against the group, linked entities, its directors, key managerial persons and others, to file a money laundering case. The probe found, the agency said, that the accused allegedly "duped" innocent buyers by promising them to deliver flats, plots, commercial spaces etc.However, they neither delivered the projects nor returned their money. The directors of the company in connivance with others "siphoned off" mo

ED chargesheets against Rana Ayyub; says she used public funds for herself

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against journalist Rana Ayyub under the anti-money laundering law, alleging that she utilised publicly raised funds of Rs 2.69 crore for herself and also contravened the foreign contribution law. The federal agency filed its prosecution complaint against Ayyub before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on October 12. "Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser charity campaigns on 'Ketto platform' starting from April, 2020 and collected funds totalling Rs 2,69,44,680," the ED said in a statement issued on Thursday. The campaigns, it said, were meant to raise funds for slum dwellers and farmers; relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra and help Ayyub and her team to help those impacted by COVID-19 in India. Probe found, the agency said, that the funds raised on the online platforms were received in the accounts of Ayyub's father and sister and subsequently transferred to her persona