Mumbai: Anil Deshmukh’s ‘aide’ seeks bail, says Vaze’s statements unreliable

Mumbai: After NCP leader Anil Deshmukh secured bail from the Bombay High Court in a money laundering case earlier this month, the personal assistant Kundan Shinde of the former minister, his co-accused, has sought bail before a special court.

This is Shinde’s second bail application after the first was rejected in December last year. The ED had alleged that as per statements of Sachin Vaze, Shinde and his co-accused Deshmukh’s personal secretary Sanjeev Palande were instrumental in arranging Vaze’s meetings with Deshmukh and would also discuss the possibility with him of increasing the collection of illegal money from bar owners in the city.

Shinde is also a member of an educational trust Sri Sai Shikshan Sanstha run by the Deshmukh family, of which Deshmukh was the chairman and through which money was laundered.

In his bail plea, Shinde has called the statements of dismissed policeman Sachin Vaze, which the agency has heavily relied on, as not creditworthy. It also pointed out that Vaze had made turn-arounds in his statements before the judicial commission set up by the state government in which he had denied ever meeting Deshmukh or ever passing on any illegally collected money.

The plea also pointed out the various criminal cases against Vaze listing seven cases including the custodial death case of software engineer Khwaja Yunus.

He called himself a “victim of gross persecution and harassment” and said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), being a premier investigating agency, has “reduced its process to an instrument of oppression”.

He said he has led a life of dignity, belongs to a middle-class family and has a daughter studying in Class 12 and an octogenarian father with several health ailments that are dependent on him.