A Special PMlA court here on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and his nephew Sameer Bhujbal, in the money laundering case, till May 25.
While extending Bhujbals’ judicial custody, the court said it would hear Chhagan Bhujbal’s applic-ation seeking bail, on May 13.
The extension in Bhujbals’ judicial custody comes nearly a fortnight after the Special PMlA court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the third Bhujbal family member Pankaj Bhujbal, son of Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, in connection two money laundering cases registered against him and others. last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Chhagan Bhujbal’s associate and chartered accountant Sunil Naik in connection with the money laundering case. Naik was the CA at Bhujbal— owned Mumbai Education Trust (MET) at Bandra in north-west Mumbai.
While Sameer was arrested on February 1, Sr Bhujbal, was arrested by the ED on March 14 in connection with two money laundering cases registered against him, his family members and associates. Sr Bhujbal and his nephew Sameer have since been behind the bars in connection with the same money laundering cases registered by the ED.
It may be recalled the ED, had on March 30, filed a 11,500—page chargesheet naming Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer, corporate houses like DB Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment llP and Kakade Infrastructure.
In documents filed before a court here, the ED on March 15 this year charged that Bhujbal, his family members and associates had caused a loss of staggering Rs 887 crore to the State exchequer.
An MlA in the Maharashtra Assembly, Pankaj has also been named in the FIR filed by the ED which had registered against Sr Bhujbal, 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.