Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested businessman Sadanand Kadam as part of its money-laundering probe into the case related to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra minister Anil Parab and alleged illegalities in the construction of Sai Resort NX at Dapoli, Ratnagiri.
The resort was allegedly built in a ‘No Development Zone’ that falls under Coastal Regulation Zone-III.
The investigative agency arrested Kadam for his alleged non-cooperation during the questioning, ED sources have claimed. The agency had summoned him on Friday for questioning in the case which continued for up to four hours at its headquarters at Ballard Estate.
Kadam connived with Parab and concealed irregularities in resort construction: ED
The agency’s probe had revealed that Kadam had allegedly connived with Parab, who is accused of having sold the resort's land to him, on paper, when complaints regarding the illegal construction of the resort surfaced, an ED official said. The sale deal was allegedly aimed at concealing the irregularities, the official claimed.
Two months ago, in January, ED had provisionally attached the resort and the land on which it was built, with their combined estimated value pegged at Rs 10.20 crore. The land is sized around 42 gunta and is located at Gut No 446, Murud, Dapoli, Ratnagiri.
ED probe was iniated against Parab, Sai Resort NX and others
ED's money laundering probe was initiated against Parab, Sai Resort NX and others. "It had initiated its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the basis of a complaint filed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change against Parab, Sai Resort, Sea Conch Resort and others before the Judicial Magistrate, Dapoli, for alleged violation of Section 19 and section 15 r/w Section 7 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, " the official said.
A case was also registered by the Dapoli police station against Parab and others for allegedly deceiving and causing loss to the state government of Maharashtra.
Probe revealed Parab got illegal permission from local office-bearers
The PMLA investigation revealed that Parab, allegedly in connivance with Kadam, got an illegal permission from the local SDO’s office for the conversion of the use of land from agricultural to non-agricultural purpose and thereafter constructed the resort in violation of the CRZ norms, the official claimed.
Parab had allegedly acquired "an illegal permission from the Revenue Department for construction of a twin bungalow (ground plus one floor) over a piece of land falling under CRZ-III, that is in a No Development Zone, and after acquiring the permission, Parab illegally constructed Sai Resort NX, having ground plus two floors," the official said.
ED's allegations against Anil Parab
" Further, Parab with the deliberate intention to hide his identity as the owner had obtained the permission in the name of the earlier owner, from the Revenue Department of the state, by forging his signature on the application made in this regard," the official alleged.
ED has also accused Parab of also deliberately hiding the fact that the said land falls within CRZ-III before the Gram Panchayat and had pressurized the Gram Panchayat to transfer the said land along with the building in his name, although there was no mention of any construction in the original sale deed, the official claimed. It was also alleged that the Gram Panchayat was cheated via the making of an application for taxation purposes before the completion of the entire construction of the building / resort.
Anil Parab sold resort to Kadam on paper when complaints on illegal construction came up: ED
ED has also alleged that the payment of the construction of the resort was deliberately made in cash and the construction commenced before the registration of the land in the name of Parab in order to hide the identity of the real owner of the building, so that in future if any violation came to the fore, the onus could be shifted to the previous land owner.
When various complaints regarding the illegal construction of Sai Resort NX came to light, Parab allegedly "sold the said land on paper to Kadam to conceal the illegalities and irregularities vis-a-vis construction of the said resort within CRZ-III, that is, No Development Zone," the ED official claimed. ED had last year recorded Parab 's statement in its probe and had also questioned Kadam on multiple occasions.
