Mumbai News: ED Swoops Down on IRS Officer in Corruption Case

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Customs and GST additional commissioner, Lucknow senior IRS Sachin Balasaheb Sawant, late Tuesday for money laundering in a case pertaining to illicit diversion and transfer of more than Rs500 crore by diamond traders.

Sawant, who previously served as deputy director in ED’s Mumbai Zone 2, is facing scrutiny for cash deposits of Rs1.25 crore made from unexplained sources in the personal bank accounts of family members and in the bank account of a dummy company in which his father and brother-in-law were directors.

ED custody till July 5

ED investigators raided the 2008 batch IRS cadre Sawant’s Mumbai residence and Lucknow office on Tuesday night and flew him into the city on Wednesday. He was produced in the Special PMLA court, Mumbai, and was remanded to ED custody till July 5 for further interrogation.

The agency opened an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered for corruption and disproportionate assets by the CBI, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Mumbai.

“He had amassed assets disproportionate to his known and legal sources of income. Immovable properties were purchased in the name dummy company and the source for purchase of the said property was shown as personal loans and other bank loans whose repayments were also made in cash. The flat is in the name of dummy company but Sachin Sawant was occupying the said flat as its real owner,” an ED official said.

Tenure

Sachin was in the office on special duty to the then minister of higher and technical education, Uday Samant, when the Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power.

He cleared Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in fourth attempt and was ranked 414th in the examination and allotted IRS (C&CE) 2008 batch. He lived in a 200 square foot house for 30 years with his parents in police quarters before joining the IRS. His father was in the police force.

Sawant was also posted at the lucrative Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Nhava Sheva, before joining ED as deputy director on deputation.

Pointers:

Sachin Sawant cleared UPSC exam in his fourth attempt

He was ranked 414th in the examination and allotted IRS (C&CE) 2008 batch

He lived in a 200 square foot house for 30 years with his parents in police quarters before joining the IRS

Sawant’s father was in the police force

He was also posted at the lucrative Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Nhava Sheva, before joining ED as deputy director on deputation