The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday slapped money laundering charges against former Minister of State in the Coal Ministry, Dasari Narayana Rao and Congress MP Naveen Jindal, in connection with its probe into the coal blocks allocation case.
The agency registered an FIR under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA), taking cognisance of the CBI cases in these allocations, it has also named members and officials of the 35th Screening Committee of the Coal Ministry.
Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt ltd, Jindal Steel and Power limited (JSPl), Jindal Realty Pvt ltd, New Delhi Exim Pvt ltd, Sowbhagya Media ltd besides unknown persons have also been named in this case.
The sources said the agency has framed the charges after it found multi-layered transactions between the firms owned by Jindal to Rao’s firms based in Hyderabad and “illegal money” was routed for alleged favours given for the allocation of coal firms to Jindal in Jharkhand in 2008 by Rao.
The same charges have been leveled by the CBI in its FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act against these individuals and firms.
As part of the probe, the agency will ascertain banking and other transactions made by the accused firms and individuals and evaluate movable and immovable assets of those named in the FIR.
The ED will also probe possible contravention of foreign exchange laws by these firms which have now been asked by the agency to furnish relevant documents, the sources said.
Other firms embroiled in the CBI cases in coal allocation and booked by the ED include Castron Technologies ltd, Jharkhand Ispat Private limited, Pushp Steel and Mining Pvt ltd, RSPl, Grace Industries, Jharkhand Ispat, Green Infrastructure, Hindalco, BlA Industries and Nav Bharat Power Private limited.
The probe by both the agencies in the coal cases are being monitored by the Supreme Court.