A Delhi court on Thursday ordered framing of money laundering charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav in connection with alleged irregularities in the leasing of two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels when Lalu Prasad was the railways minister.
There exists a “strong suspicion of abuse of office and proceeds of crime” in the hands of Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav who continue to enjoy a tainted land in Patna, which was transferred to them at the behest of Lalu Prasad Yadav, during the years he was Union railways minister, Special judge Vishal Gogne said in his oral observations
The court framed money laundering charges against nine people, including former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi and their son, Tejashwi Yadav. Seven others were discharged. The court said formal charges will be framed on October 3.
The judge said prima facie, a tender came to be manipulated by railway officials when Lalu Prasad was the railways minister for award of lease of hotels at Ranchi and Puri, whose directors transferred a land in Patna, Bihar, to Sarla Gupta, a close associate of Lalu, who then transferred the shares to Rabri Devi for a pittance.
{{/usCountry}}The judge said prima facie, a tender came to be manipulated by railway officials when Lalu Prasad was the railways minister for award of lease of hotels at Ranchi and Puri, whose directors transferred a land in Patna, Bihar, to Sarla Gupta, a close associate of Lalu, who then transferred the shares to Rabri Devi for a pittance.
{{/usCountry}}The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) allege that Lalu Prasad and IRCTC officials misused their official positions to rig the tender process, granting the sub-lease rights for two railway hotels in Ranchi and Puri to Vijay and Vinay Kochhar's firm, M/s Sujata Hotels Pvt. Ltd. Investigators describe the arrangement as a classic quid pro quo, wherein public contracts were allegedly exchanged for valuable private property, land, and company shares transferred to the Yadav family at throwaway prices.
The Enforcement Directorate filed its first chargesheet in the case in 2018 and also named Rashtriya Janata Dal leader PC Gupta, his wife Sarla Gupta, firm Lara Projects and 10 others.
In return for the hotel sub-lease, 358 decimal of prime land in Patna was transferred in February 2005 to M/s Delight Marketing Company Pvt. Ltd owned by the family of PC Gupta.
The agency further alleged that this company, which possessed a valuable piece of land, was gradually taken over by Rabri Devi and her son Tejashwi through the purchase of shares at nominal prices.
According to the agency, the funds used to acquire the land had a dubious origin and were allegedly laundered through 151 group companies linked to P. C. Gupta, using an NBFC named M/s Abhishek Finance Company Limited.
The agency also noted that the funds used by Rabri Devi to acquire these shares were questionable. Additionally, individuals from whom Tejashwi purportedly purchased shares denied any knowledge of holding such shares, the agency claimed.