Kirit Somaiya levels graft allegations against MVA minister

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya on Monday levelled allegations of money laundering to the tune of ₹127 crore against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Hasan Mushrif, prompting the latter to announce that he would file a defamation suit against the former seeking at least ₹100 crore in damages

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya on Monday levelled allegations of money laundering to the tune of ₹127 crore against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Hasan Mushrif, prompting the latter to announce that he would file a defamation suit against the former seeking at least ₹100 crore in damages.

Kirit Somaiya on Monday levelled the graft allegations to the tune of ₹127 crore against MVA minister Hasan Mushrif. (Hindustan Times)

The BJP leader accused Mushrif, the rural development minister, as well as his family members of making transactions via shell companies.

“The family opened accounts in banks in the name of companies (which) were announced (to be) shell companies by the central government. Navid (Mushrif’s son) disclosed in his election affidavit in 2019, that he had taken the loan of ₹3.85 crore from Marubhumi Finance, ₹2 crore from CRM Systems, the two companies registered in Kolkata. The directors of these companies are Sikandar Desai, Aalamgir Mujawar, and Gopal Pawar who are close confidante of the minister. The family showed income from the companies which actually do no exist,” Somaiya said in a press conference.

In 2018, the Central government struck off around 400,000 shell companies across the country.

In a press conference held an hour later Mushrif said: “Kirit Somiya has been continuously targeting NCP leaders and ministers from the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government. Income Tax officials had raided my home and offices in 2019 ahead of the Assembly polls but they could not find anything substantial.”

IT officials raided Mushrif’s home in 2019 based on complaints.

Mushrif said he would file a defamation case against Somaiya and seek damages worth ₹100 crore. “I have faced not a single case in my 17 years’ stint (as minister),” he said.

Mushrif also threatened to file a criminal case against state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, whom he accused of providing incorrect information to Somaiya.

“Kirit Somaiya has no correct information and the allegations are based on the information provided by BJP state chief Chandrakant Patil and their local leader Samarjeet Ghatge. Somaiya should have taken correct information before levelling such allegations,” Mushrif said.

Somaiya, a former Member of Parliament alleged that Navid Mushrif and his mother Sahera, were shareholders in the Santaji Ghorpade sugar factory, a cooperative entity, which was involved in money laundering. He further alleged that the sugar factory had received crores of rupees from the shell companies from 2003 to 2014 the duration when Mushrif was a state cabinet minister in charge of various departments including labour.

“I have already made complaints with Income Tax department by submitting 2700-page documents related to the corruption. I have also made a complaint with the Mumbai office of the Enforcement Directorate and with the Anti Corruption Bureau. I am heading to Delhi on Wednesday to take up the issue with ministries concerned, offices of Income tax, ED among others,” Somaiya said.

Somaiya submitted the document to the IT department last week.

Mushrif said that he was taking legal advice to file a complaint against Patil for his alleged corruption in the hybrid annuity model implemented while the latter was the public works department minister in previous BJP government in the state.

Patil said that he was ready to face any inquiry. “The model implemented during our stint helped in construction of many roads which are being inaugurated by the Thackeray government now. Mushrif has threatened to file a case against me after his corruption was exposed by Somaiya. We are not afraid of any probe, Mushrif should go ahead with it,” he said, addressing queries from Pune.