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Senthil Balaji, wife got huge cash deposits: ED in job racket charge sheet
The analysis of bank statements of arrested V Senthil Balaji and his wife has revealed that they received huge cash deposits, the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
New Delhi: The analysis of bank statements of arrested Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji and his wife has revealed that they received huge cash deposits, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Thursday.
Read here: ED takes Balaji into 5-day custody after SC approval
On August 12, the federal agency filed a charge sheet against Balaji — now a DMK minister— in its money laundering probe in connection with the alleged cash-for-jobs scam in the state transport department during his stint as the department’s minister in the AIADMK-led government from 2011 to 2015. A special court in Chennai took cognizance of the charge sheet on Wednesday.
The 3,000-page charge sheet, which includes more than 2,000 pages of annexures, alleged that Balaji (47) abused his official position as the transport minister of Tamil Nadu (during 2011-15), and entered into a criminal conspiracy with the then managing directors of state transport undertakings (STUs) and other officials of transport corporations. The charge sheet also names his associates, including brother RV Ashok Kumar and personal assistants B Shanmugam and M Karthikeyan, as accused.
“Balaji obtained illegal gratification from candidates to recruit them as drivers, conductors, junior tradesmen, junior assistants, junior engineer and assistant engineer in the transport corporations,” ED said in a statement on Thursday, citing details of the charge sheet.
“During ED investigation, the bank statement analysis revealed that there were huge cash deposits in the bank accounts of accused V Senthil Balaji and his wife S Megala,” it added.
The financial crimes probe agency said it has collected incriminating evidence indicating the utilisation of proceeds of crime and establishing the nexus and modus operandi of the “cash-for-jobs scam”.
“Balaji was confronted with incriminating evidence but he failed to rebut the same and offer any plausible explanation, instead he remained non-cooperative and evasive during the investigation proceedings,” the statement added.
Currently lodged in Puzhal central jail in Chennai, Balaji continues to be a minister without portfolio in chief minister MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government after he was arrested by ED on June 14 in the money laundering case.
Read here: TN minister Senthil Balaji sent to judicial custody till Aug 25 as ED files chargesheet
The agency had earlier claimed that Balaji misused his office for illegal gratification and engineered a job racket scam in the state transport undertakings during 2014-15 with purported kickbacks paid by candidates through his associates, including his brother RV Ashok Kumar and personal assistants B Shanmugam and M Karthikeyan.
ED filed a money laundering case in September 2021 to probe these allegations. On May 16, the Supreme Court allowed the federal agency to proceed with its probe against Balaji that led to his arrest in the case.
