Money laundering case: Ex-Congress MLA Kikki Dhillon appears before ED

Former Congress MLA Kikki Dhillon appeared before the ED in Jalandhar for a money laundering case. This follows a 9-hour questioning session. The case relates to a Vigilance Bureau FIR alleging assets disproportionate to his known income.

Former Congress MLA from Faridkot, Kikki Dhillon, on Thursday appeared once again before officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case. Dhillon reached the ED office in Jalandhar with documents after recently undergoing nearly nine hours of questioning by the agency. Officials had earlier prepared a detailed list of questions related to the case and had examined him during the previous round of questioning.

Disproportionate Assets Case

The case pertains to a 2023 Vigilance Bureau FIR, following which Dhillon was also arrested. The Vigilance Bureau had alleged that between 2017 and 2022, Dhillon spent ₹10.72 crore against an income of ₹3.18 crore, and was unable to explain the source of around ₹7.53 crore. The bureau has already filed a chargesheet in the matter, which remains pending before the court.

Dhillon Maintains Innocence

After his earlier appearance before the ED, Dhillon had said that the matter was sub judice and that he could not comment in detail. He had also stated that he had submitted income-related documents sought by the ED and expressed faith in the judiciary, saying he was confident of getting justice.

According to the Vigilance Bureau, the probe covered the period from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2022 to assess his movable and immovable assets. The investigation reportedly found that the former MLA had acquired assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and had purchased property in the names of others in the village Mumra, Faridkot.

The probe also alleged that Dhillon's expenditure was nearly 245 per cent higher than his declared income. The Vigilance Bureau had also booked two of his associates in the case.

Separate ED Arrest in Punjab

In a separate case on May 23, the ED has arrested Ajay Sehgal, Secretary, Indian Cooperative House Building Society, in a money laundering case related to submission of fake consent letters for fraudulently obtaining Change of Land Use (CLU) for the Suntec City project from the Government of Punjab. (ANI)

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