Maharashtra’s incarcerated former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s troubles mounted on Monday as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached a sugar mill and 290 acres of prime land worth Rs55 crore in Nashik district in connection with the ongoing investigations into a money laundering case involving him, his family members and associates.
In fourth of the attachment orders that it issued under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA) against the properties of Bhujbals ever since it registered two money laundering cases against them and others in June this year, the ED acted against the two assets owned by Bhujbal’s firm Armstrong Infrastructure. The agency pegged the worth of the two assets at Rs55 crore.
Sources in the ED said that the agency had imposed orders on the management of the attached Gima Sugar Mill against the “running the factory” and carrying out any activities on the attached land adjacent to it.
The investigations have revealed that the Bhujbals’ firm had purchased the sugar mill at an auction conducted by the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in 2010 after “gross under-valuation” at Rs 27 crore and was purchased as part y
The sources also said that Bhujbals had invested the “proceeds of crime” of money laundering funds which they generated when Sr Bhujbal was the PWD Minister in the previous DF government.
Through earlier three attachment orders, the ED has already attached properties worth Rs 280 crore belonging to Bhujbals.
An attachment order under PMlA laws is aimed to deprive the accused from obtaining benefits of their alleged ill-gotten wealth and the accused parties can appeal against the order before the Adjudicating Authority of the said Act within 180 days.
Bhujbal, was arrested on March 14 by the 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. After being in the custody of ED for two days, Bhujbal was on March 17 remanded in judicial custody till March 31.
Bhujbal is the second member of his family to have been arrested in connection with the 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.
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.