Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal was arrested Monday night by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after it questioned him for more than 10 hours, in connection with two money laundering cases registered against him, his family members and associates.
Bhujbal, whose questioning had begun 11.30 am, was taken into custody by the ED officials at around 9.45 pm. He will be produced before a city court on Tuesday morning.
Sixty-eight-year-old Bhujbal is the second member of his family to have been arrested in connection with money laundering cases registered against him, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and others in connection with the two Economic Case Information Reports (ECIRs) registered on June 17 against him, his son Pankaj and nephew Sameer others under the provisions of PMlA. Earlier, his nephew had been arrested on February 1 and is still in judicial custody.
Sixty-eight-year-old Bhujbal, who had arrived at the ED office at Ballard Pier in South Mumbai amid tight security at around 11.30 am, was questioned continuously till late in the night. As his questioning continued well past 9 pm, there were clear indications that he would be taken into custody by the ED later in the night – which eventually happened.
Dubbing Bhujbal’s arrest as an act of political vendetta, senior NCP leader and former Minister Jayant Patil said: “The ED has acted under pressure from the ruling BJP at the Centre. The Government (of Modi) that does not hesitate to foist cases against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi has acted with political vendetta against Bhujbal.
Bhujbal’s arrest is bound to result in massive protests in both the House of the Maharashtra legislature where the Budget session is currently on. “We will meet tomorrow morning and evolve our strategy to take on the BJP-led State Government on the floor of both the Houses,” Patil said.
Reacting to Bhujbal’s arrest, BJP’s MP Kirit Somaiya — who had carried out a campaign against Bhujbal and his family members in the new Maharashtra Sadam and other scams — said: “The arrest of Bhujbal is a culmination of a mission launched by Devendra Fadnavis and I against Bhujbal for the alleged irregularities in the new Maharashtra Sadan construction and other PWD work”..
Going by the documentary evidence that has been gathered, Chhagan Bhujbal will not come out jail for the next two to three years. Our next aim is to take the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam to a logical conclusion”.
Expressing happiness over Bhujbal’s arrest, Anjali Damania –who had also campaigned against the irregularities allegedly committed by Bhujbal in his capacity as the PWD minister – said: “I stand vindicated today. Whatever the allegations I had made against him have stood the test of time and scrutiny of the investigating agencies”.
Earlier in the morning, a large number of NCP workers, who gathered outside at the ED office when he arrived there to appear before the agency officials. They raised slogans in support of Bhujbal.
With the authorities having imposed prohibitory orders around the ED office as a precautionary measure, Bhujbal was escorted inside the agency’s office by its officials without any untoward happening.
This was for the first that the ED was questining Bhujbal. The agency is recording the statement of the former PWD minister under the provisions of the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA).
Bhujbal, whose alleged misuse of office as the former PWD Minister in the previous DF government is being investigated, was questioned as part of the two Economic Case Information Reports (ECIRs) registered on June 17 against him, his son Pankaj and nephew Sameer others under the provisions of PMlA.
While Bhujbal’s nephew Sameer Bhujbal, a former NCP MP from Nashik, who was arrested by the ED in connection with a money laundering case, is currently in Arthur Road jail here under judicial custody, his son Pankaj has already been subjected to three rounds of questioning by the investigating officials.
Sameer was arrested by the ED on February 1 under various provisions of provisions of Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA) in a case of money laundering, siphoning off funds and causing a loss of Rs 840 crore to the exchequer, of which Rs 114 crores has reportedly been recovered.
In an application seeking Sameer’s remand filed before the city court, the ED had stated last month that funds were also laundered in the guise of purported sale of shares on high premium by channelling huge cash to the tune of approximately Rs 125 crore in banking transactions.
The Enforcement Directorate had made Samir’s arrest as part of the two Economic Case Information Reports (ECIRs) registered on June 17 against former PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, his family members and others under the provisions of PMlA.
The two ECIRs, registered against Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Samir and 19 others, relate to the alleged illegal transactions to the tune of several hundred crores, under the provisions of PMlA. Between 2007 and 2011, Pankaj and Samir were directors of Parvesh Construction, a firm which executes redevelopment projects in Mumbai.
Bhujbal, his son Pankaj and nephew Samir had come under the State ACB’s scanner for the alleged irregularities in handing over the contracts to a developer close to Bhujbals, KS Chamankar for three projects that the PWD had handed to the latter while he was heading the ministry in the previous Democratic Front (DF) government.
On February 24, the State ACB formally registered a charge-sheet against Chhagan Bhujbal in a city court here the new Maharashtra Sadan scam case.
Apart from Bhujbal who had been the deputy chief minister from October 18, 1999 to December 23 2003 and was the Public Works Minister in the previous DF government, the others were who charge-sheeted in the scam were his son Pankay, nephew Samir and 14 others.The charge-sheet, which runs into 20,000 pages, contains statements by 20 witnesses.
The action initiated by the ACB and ED against Bhujbals was in line with a directive given on December 18, 2014. Observing that there was merit in the allegations and there was a clear case of kickbacks and money laundering, the HC division bench comprising Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice BA Colabawala had constituted an SIT --- comprising of the ACB and the ED-- into the allegations that the Bhujbal family-run trust had received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 82 crore from private contractors.