Trouble brewing for Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut as ED attaches assets in connection with land scam
This will come as a big blow to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government which already has two of its senior leaders - Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik - subject to investigations.
FollowIn a fresh trouble for Maha Vikas Aghadi government (MVA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday provisionally attached eight land parcels in Alibaug and one flat in Dadar in Mumbai linked to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in the ongoing money laundering case.
The case pertains to land ‘scam’ related to the re-development of a ‘chawl’ in Mumbai linked to the Rs 1034-crore floor space index (FSI) fraud at Patra Chawl in Goregaon.
Reacting to the development, the Shiv Sena leader tweeted, “Asatyamev jayate!!”
On February 2 this year, the ED had arrested businessman Pravin Raut, who is known to be close to Sanjay Raut, in connection with the case. On April 1, the agency filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against Pravin.
The ED chargesheet has named Pravin, Sarang Wadhawan and Rakesh Wadhawan of HDIL, as well as Guruashish Construction as accused in the money laundering case. The Wadhawans are also currently under arrest.
The agency had also questioned Sanjay Rauts wife Varsha Raut last year in connection with another money laundering case linked to the PMC Bank fraud case and for her purported links with Pravin Raut’s wife Madhuri.
In a separate case, the ED had earlier found that Pravin Raut siphoned off Rs 95 crore from loans taken by HDIL through PMC Bank. It found that Pravin had transferred about Rs 1.6 crore to his wife Madhuri Raut, who is a business partner of Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha. Out of this Rs 1.6 crore, Madhuri transferred about Rs 55 crore to Varsha as an interest-free loan. This money was then invested by Varsha to buy a flat in Dadar.
This will come as a big blow to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government which already has two of its senior leaders - Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik - subject to investigations.
Deshmukh had to resign from the state Home Minister post after his alleged involvement in a corruption case while Nawab Malik remains in judicial custody following allegations of money laundering.
