ED books Deshmukh in money laundering case
The fresh case against Deshmukh is based on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) First Information Report (FIR) registered against him last month.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has booked Anil Deshmukh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh’s allegations that the former Maharashtra home minister allegedly ran an extortion racket, officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The fresh case against Deshmukh is based on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) First Information Report (FIR) registered against him last month. The officials said ED was likely to summon Deshmukh and his personal staff soon. Unlike CBI, ED, the federal anti-money laundering agency, can record statements of any person in a case under PMLA’s Section 50 and it is admissible as evidence in court. The fresh case has been filed days after the CBI on April 24 said it has established “prima facie evidence” against Deshmukh, a leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and booked him for corruption and criminal conspiracy.
CBI’s case came a month after Singh accused Deshmukh of using the Mumbai Police for extortion from bars, hotels, and restaurants. CBI is probing Singh’s allegations as well as Deshmukh’s handing over of important cases to then assistant police inspector, Sachin Vaze, and influencing transfers and postings.
In a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in March, Singh alleged Deshmukh asked Vaze to collect ₹100 crore monthly from bars, restaurants, hotels, and other sources in Mumbai. The letter was written after Singh was transferred for allegedly mismanaging the bomb scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house in February. The National Investigation Agency has arrested Vaze in connection with the discovery of the explosives-laden car outside and businessman Mansukh Hiran’s alleged murder. Hiran was linked to the vehicle.
Four CBI teams on April 24 carried out raids for 12 hours from 6am at Deshmukh’s residences in Nagpur and Mumbai as well as at his personal assistant Sanjeev Palande’s premises and seized digital devices.
Meanwhile, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik dismissed ED’s case as politically motivated. “Whether it is the case registered by ED or allegations levelled by Param Bir Singh, [there is] an attempt to defame the MVA [Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi] government by using power.” Malik accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government of using central agencies CBI, ED for political reasons. Malik reiterated Deshmukh will cooperate with the probe.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant said the action against Deshmukh has been initiated to cover up the Centre’s failure in tackling the second Covid-19 wave.
BJP leader Atul Bhatkhalkar hit back and asked the ruling parties why they were scared of the probe if there was no involvement of Deshmukh.
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