Anil Deshmukh ‘mastermind’ in money laundering case: ED tells Court
Deshmukh’s plea in a money laundering case is expected to be heard by the Bombay High Court on Friday. The Special PMLA court denied him bail on March 14.
FollowThe Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently told the Bombay High Court that former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh is the “mastermind and brain” behind the money laundering conspiracy he hatched with his son Hrishikesh Deshmukh, (dismissed cop) Sachin Waze, (his aides) Sanjeev Palande, Kundan Shinde and others and had misused his official position to amass wealth.
Deshmukh’s plea in a money laundering case is expected to be heard by the Bombay High Court on Friday. The Special PMLA court denied him bail on March 14.
The Central agency filed its affidavit before the High Court in Deshmukh’s bail plea. “He exercised undue influence to pass favourable transfers and postings of police officials.”
The affidavit mentioned, “The applicant (Mr. Deshmukh) is the mastermind of the entire conspiracy hatched with his son Hrishikesh Deshmukh, Sachin Vaze (dismissed police officer), Sanjeev Palande (his personal secretary) and Kundan Shinde (personal assistant). He is the main conspirator and the brain behind the whole conspiracy to collect money from bars and restaurant owners.”
Deshmukh was arrested by the ED last November. The central agency had alleged that he was the beneficiary of bribes received by co-accused Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, who has since been dismissed.
The ED claimed Waze has said he got a call from Deshmukh a week after he was reinstated as a police officer by the police departmental review committee on June 5, 2020, asking him to “pay Rs 2 crore.” He added he met Deshmukh at the state guesthouse where the then minister told him “Together they will do good cases.”
The central agency said that “…The investigation shows that Anil Deshmukh has earned through illegal gratification, unaccounted money and also has unexplained assets,” ED stated and sought dismissal of Deshmukh’s bail plea, which will be heard by a single-judge bench of Justice Anuja Prabhudessai on Friday.
