On Monday, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh issued a statement and informed that once the outcome of his petition in the court comes, he would himself visit the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and would get his statement recorded.
"ED has provisionally attached my family's properties valued at approximately Rs 4 crore. In the attached property, there is a land which is worth Rs 2.67 crore which my son Salil Deshmukh had bought in 2006. It is now being presented that the said property is worth Rs 300 crore and that ED has attached property worth Rs 300 crore and this misinformation is being spread. I had received summons from ED and after having received their summons, I had filed a petition in the Supreme Court. And whatever outcome comes from the court, after that I will myself go to ED and get my statement recorded," Deshmukh said in a video statement.
The agency officials on Sunday early morning had conducted searches at two premises of Deshmukh in Nagpur in connection with their ongoing money laundering probe against Deshmukh. Two separate teams were formed to carry out searches at Deshmukh’s house in Katol town, located about 60 km from Nagpur, and his ancestral home at Wadvihira village near Katol. The team was unable to locate Deshmukh during the searches.
On Friday ED had provisionally attached assets worth Rs 4.20 crore of Anil Deshmukh and his family, held in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh and company Premier Port Links Private Limited under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The attached assets were in the form of one residential flat valued at Rs 1.54 crore, located at Worli and 25 land parcels of book value Rs 2.67 crore, located at Dhutum Villages in Uran, Raigad District of Maharashtra. Same day, a legal representative of the Deshmukh's had submitted some documents sought by the agency in connection with the case.
ED had initiated money laundering investigation on May 11, on the basis of an FIR under Section 120-B of IPC, 1860 and section 7 of PC Act 1988 registered by CBI against Deshmukh and others for allegedly attempting to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of their public duty for collection of funds to achieve the target of Rs 100 crore per month from various bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai.
"Investigation under PMLA revealed that Anil Deshmukh while acting as Home Minister of State of Maharashtra, with dishonest intention has received illegal gratification of approximately Rs 4.70 crore in cash from various orchestra bar owners, through Sachin Vaze, then Assistant Police Inspector of Mumbai Police. Further, with the help of Delhi based dummy companies, Deshmukh family laundered the tainted money of Rs 4.18 crore and projected it as untainted by showing the same as amount received in the Trust namely Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha," ED had claimed.
"Investigation further revealed that flat located at Worli, which is beneficially owned by Anil Deshmukh is registered in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh and found that entire payment was made through cash only in 2004, however, sale deed was done in month of February 2020 when Anil Deshmukh was Home Minister of State of Maharashtra. Further Deshmukh family has acquired the 50% ownership in M/s Premier Port Links Pvt. Ltd. including its assets i.e. Land & shops totally valued at approximately Rs 5.34 crore (Book Value) by merely paying an amount of Rs 17.95 lakh, that too after a substantial gap," the agency officials claimed.
ED had thrice earlier issued summons to Deshmukh, asking him to get his statement recorded in the case, but Deshmukh skipped the summons and informed that he should first be provided relevant documents of the case and copy of ECIR filed by ED against him. Deshmukh had also informed that he was ready for an audio visual interaction.
On June 25, ED had arrested Deshmukh’s personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
