The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at premises linked to former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) minister and serving member of legislative assembly (MLA) R Vaithiyalingam as part of a money laundering case investigation, officials aware of the developments said.
The ED probe is related to a case when Vaithiyalingam was a housing minister in 2011-2016.
“The raids are being conducted at his residence in his native in Thanjavur, Chennai and other places under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),” an official in the know of the matter said.
The ED, however, did not release any statement on the searches.
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Later in the day, ED officials also arrived at the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) in Chennai to continue further searches.
In September, Tamil Nadu’s anti-graft agency, Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had also filed a case against him in a disproportionate assets case during the same period. This was the second case the DVAC registered against him on charges of him amassing unaccounted wealth.
The first information report (FIR) dated September 19 stated that the minister amassed ₹32,47,10,566.53, which is 1,057.85% higher than his known sources of income, during the period starting from May 2011 up to March 2016.
{{/usCountry}}The first information report (FIR) dated September 19 stated that the minister amassed ₹32,47,10,566.53, which is 1,057.85% higher than his known sources of income, during the period starting from May 2011 up to March 2016.
{{/usCountry}}The period corresponds to when Vaithilingam was the minister for housing and urban development under the then AIADMK regime.
Vaithilingam was expelled from the AIADMK in 2022 by its current general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami for supporting O Panneerselvam (OPS). Vaithilingam is an MLA from the Orathanad constituency.
There was no response from OPS on the developments and the copy will be updated whenever it is received.