The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a chargesheet before a special court in a money laundering case concerning a Ratnagiri resort in which it alleges involvement of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab.
Unclear if Parab named as accused on chargesheet
It is unclear whether the chargesheet names Parab as an accused. In March, the ED had arrested a ‘close aide’ of the politician - Sadanand Kadam. Thereafter, another arrest followed - of a former sub-divisional officer of Dapoli - Jayaram Deshpande. Both are still in judicial custody and the special court is hearing their bail applications.
The ED had alleged while seeking custody of Kadam, that Parab had contacted him for purchasing a land in Ratnagiri and thereafter, Kadam had committed irregularities at the politician’s behest. The irregularities included land-use change from agricultural to non-agricultural by pressuring government officials and construction of the resort in the ecologically sensitive no-development zone that falls under the Coastal Regulatory Zone.
Property was registered in Parab's name in 2019
The agency had alleged during investigation that the proceeds of crime were to the tune of over Rs. 10 crores in the form of the one acre land at Dapoli and the illegally constructed resort. It had further alleged that in 2017, Parab had used unaccounted cash of Rs. 80 lakhs to buy the land in Ratnagiri. The property was registered in Parab’s name in 2019 and later sold to Kadam the following year.
Regarding the government official Deshpande, the agency had alleged that in 2017, he gave permission for illegal construction of the resort in eco sensitive land. This, the ED, had claimed, was under Parab’s pressure and influence.
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