Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has explained only Rs 1.06 crore of the total Rs 3.3 crore of proceeds of crime he has received, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told a special court on Monday, while arguing against the bail plea of Raut who is in custody in a money laundering case. The agency alleges he had received around Rs 3.3 crore from his co-accused Pravin Raut and had termed it proceeds of crime.
The amount it had alleged is a part of the proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 112 crore that Pravin Raut received from the illegal sale of Floor Space Index in the Goregaon redevelopment project.
Pravin Raut was one of the directors of a firm that had taken up the project that never saw the light of day. Of the Rs112 crore, it had claimed that Sanjay Raut had a benefit of Rs 3.25 crore and used it to create assets besides spending it on pleasure trips and other expenses.
Raut had explained the accumulation of Rs 1.06 crore of the amount, some of which he claimed was a loan received by his wife which she had then repaid. The Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the ED, told the special court on Monday that the 672 tenants of MHADA who did not receive homes are also sufferers.
It was also pointed out that a large amount of loan was taken from financial institutions for the redevelopment project and these were not used for the purpose. Arguing Raut's bail plea, his advocate had told the court that witnesses had changed stance within six to seven months of giving their statement to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
