The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 4.2 crore in connection with its money laundering case against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and his family.
Besides Deshmukh, the attached assets were held in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh and company Premier Port Links Private Limited under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The attached assets are in the form of one residential flat valued at Rs 1.54 crore, located at Worli, Mumbai and 25 land parcels of book value Rs 2.67 crore, located at Dhutum Villages in Uran, Raigarh district of Maharashtra, the agency said.
The ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section relating to criminal conspiracy and relevant provision of the Prevention of Corruption Act registered by the CBI against Anil Deshmukh and others for attempting to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of their public duty for collection of funds to achieve the target of Rs 100 crore per month from various bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai, it said.
“Investigation under PMLA revealed that Anil Deshmukh, while acting as Home Minister of State of Maharashtra, with dishonest intention has received illegal gratification of approximately Rs 4.70 crore in cash from various orchestra bar owners, through Sachin Waze, then Assistant Police Inspector of Mumbai Police,” it said.
Further, with the help of Delhi-based dummy companies, Deshmukh family laundered the tainted money of Rs 4.18 crore and projected it as untainted by showing the same as amount received in the Trust namely Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha, it further said.
ED probe further revealed that flat located at Worli, Mumbai which is beneficially owned by Anil Deshmukh is registered in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh and found that entire payment was made through cash only in 2004, however, sale deed was done in month of February 2020 when Anil Deshmukh was Home Minister of Maharashtra.
Further, Deshmukh family has acquired the 50 per cent ownership in Premier Port Links Pvt. Ltd. including its assets like land and shops valued at approximately Rs 5.34 Crore (Book Value) by merely paying an amount of Rs 17.95 lakh, that too after a substantial gap of time, it added.