The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday raided the Kandivali home of five-time Shiv Sena MP and former Union Minister Anandrao Adsul in connection with a complaint of an alleged Rs 980-crore scam in the Mumbai-based City Cooperative Bank Ltd.
The former MP from Amravati and Buldhana Lok Sabha seats, Adsul is the chairman of the bank. The ED had summoned him for questioning on Monday but he expressed inability to appear before the agency citing prior engagements outside Maharashtra.
On Monday morning when the ED officials reached his residence to record his statement, Adsul developed health complications after which his family members rushed him to a Goregaon hospital.
The ED is investigating a money laundering case in which it suspects that Adsul was the beneficiary of misappropriated funds of the City Cooperative Bank. Adsul's son Abhijit did not respond to messages or answered phone calls.
The Shiv Sena spokesperson, Arvind Sawant, defended Adsul and said he was being subjected to unnecessary harassment. “This is yet another step to destabilise the state government as Adsul is a former Union MoS for finance, and a prominent trade union leader in the banking industry,” said NCP national spokesperson and state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik.
Congress leader and Revenue Minister Balasaheb said this was yet another move by the opposition to create unnecessary troubles for the MVA government.
THE CASE
In June 2020, the Mumbai Police registered a case against auditors, valuers and the staffers of the City Co-operative Bank Limited on the complaint of Adsul himself. He had alleged that loans were doled out to entities and individuals with very low or no collateral.
The ED is now probing the role of Adsul as it was allegedly found that he was a beneficiary of some of the loans given by the bank.
