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ED quizzing over, Sanjeev Arora sent to 14-day judicial custody
The ED arrested the Aam Aadmi Party leader on May 9 in connection with an alleged GST fraud-linked money laundering case involving certain entities linked to him.
A local court on Monday sent Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora to judicial custody for two weeks in the alleged ₹157-crore money laundering case.
Arora was produced before the court by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after the completion of his two-day extended remand, said an official. The minister’s next appearance will be on June 1. According to his lawyer, the hearing will be conducted virtually.
According to officials, the minister’s questioning has been completed and the ED is now preparing to file a chargesheet.
The ED arrested the Aam Aadmi Party leader on May 9 in connection with an alleged GST fraud-linked money laundering case involving certain entities linked to him. Arora was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following raids conducted at his official residence in Chandigarh’s Sector 2.
The ED claims that the raids yielded crucial documents related to financial transactions and suspicious investments. He is accused of routing money through shell companies and purchasing benami properties.
On Monday, a visibly emotional Arora was seen meeting his family members before being taken to jail.
His lawyer said the ED had also included the minister’s family in the investigation by issuing summons and notices.Some family members were called for questioning. They were sent back after being quizzed, he said.
Following his arrest on May 9, he was produced before a sessions court in Gurugram and remanded in ED custody for seven days. Arora’s lawyer had claimed that the ED case against his client was “false and frivolous” and “no prima facie evidence” was collected by the investigating officer before arresting him.
He was subsequently produced before the court on Saturday and the court extended his ED remand by two days.
