Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and State Transport Minister Anil Parab on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on the second straight day for inquiries in connection with the money laundering case registered against him. He left the ED office in Mumbai at around 10.45 p.m. after nearly seven hours of questioning.
The ED has booked Parab for alleged violations of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms as well as illegal monetary transactions with respect to the construction of a resort in Dapoli, Ratnagiri.
Officials said that Parab reached the ED office in Mumbai at around 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday, after which the investigating team resumed their inquiries with him. He had been asked to appear in the morning, but had sought some time from the ED due to ongoing developments concerning his party as well as a cabinet meeting called by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. This is after he was quizzed for nearly 11 hours on Monday in connection with the case.
The ED’s investigation is based on a search conducted by the Income Tax department in March this year, during which the agency had allegedly found evidence pointing towards financial misconduct. According to the IT department, more than Rs six crore were spent on the construction of a resort for a leading political leader, which was not accounted for. The IT had also seized Rs 66 lakh during it search.
The ED subsequently conducted its own searches in Mumbai, Pune and Dapoli last month, and then issued a summons to Parab. While Parab did not appear in response to the first summons issued to him on June 14, he appeared before the ED after a second summons was issued on Monday.
