Enforcement Directorate (ED) Archives - Lokmarg

ED Issues Summons To Gahlot In Excise Policy Case

By LokMarg 30th March 2024

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to Delhi Transport Minister and AAP leader Kailash Gahlot in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

According to sources, the probe agency has issued summons to Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot for questioning in its ongoing money laundering case linked to Delhi excise policy.

The development has come after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the same case on March 21.

Earlier on Friday, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Gopal Rai announced that several prominent leaders from the INDIA alliance will participate in a rally at Ramlila Maidan on March 31 in support of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following his recent arrest.

He said, “Reactions from the entire country came after the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal. The main leaders of the INDIA alliance will join the rally on March 31 in Ramlila Maidan.”

Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, Bhagwant Mann, Champai Soren, Tejashwi Yadav, Sitaram Yechury and many more leaders have been confirmed to join the rally, Rai said.

Hindu Sena on Friday filed a fresh petition in the Delhi High Court to remove Kejriwal from the post of Chief Minister.

In the petition, it has been demanded from the court that it should order Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor to dismiss Chief Minister Kejriwal from the post and run Delhi through the Central Government via LG.

A day after the custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was extended till April 1 by the local court, his wife Sunita Kejriwal, in a video statement, launched a WhatsApp campaign titled ‘Kejriwal ko Aashirwaad’.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday extended the custodial remand of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by four more days in a money laundering case related to the Excise Policy.

In court, Arvind Kejriwal said, “The real liquor scam began post the ED investigation. The motive of the ED is to crush the Aam Aadmi Party.”

Kejriwal said in court that the case has been going on for two years and no allegations have been proven.

Meanwhile, a protest will be held by the INDIA bloc outside the BJP headquarters in the national capital tomorrow against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Congress, AAP, and the Left parties will participate in the demonstration. (ANI)

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Amanatullah’s Properties Searched In PMLA Case

By LokMarg 11th October 2023

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has conducted search operations at 13 locations in Delhi linked to Aam Aadmi Party legislator Amanatullah Khan, and his associates under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).

The searches were conducted on Tuesday in the case related to the illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Wakf Board and illegal personal gains by way of unfairly leasing out its properties during the chairmanship by Amanatullah Khan during 2018-2022, ED said in a press release.

ED initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

“Further three (03) more FIRs registered by Delhi Police are under investigation by ED as the role of Amanatullah Khan and his associates came into light,” the ED said.

ED alleged that its investigation revealed that Amanatullah Khan has acquired “huge” proceeds of crime out of the said criminal activities in cash and this cash amount was invested in the purchase of various immovable properties in Delhi in the name of his associates.

During the search proceedings at these premises, ED alleged that several incriminating records and evidence in the form of physical and digital evidence had been seized which indicate the role of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, in the offence of money laundering.

Earlier Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenged PM Narendra Modi to prove that AAP leaders were involved in any scams.

“The raid on Amanatullah yesterday is a part of Modi ji’s plan to end AAP. Kejriwal has committed a bus scam, road scam and electricity scam, I am challenging Modi ji to show proof. All these investigations that are going on are fake and their purpose is not to end corruption. Their aim is only to harass the opposition. Modi ji has become very arrogant. When the king of a country becomes so arrogant, then how can that country progress?” said Kejriwal.

Speaking on the raids on his residence, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan said that the ED didn’t show any FIR on the basis of which the raids were conducted.

“They did not show me any FIR copy, they just said that we have come to search the house in a 2016 case in which I am already out on bail. They were at my house for 12 hours. My mother has breathing problems and was given a nebulizer 3-4 times. Everyone was troubled but these people did not agree,” Amanatullah Khan said.

The raids at the premises of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan came close on the heels of the arrest of fellow AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in connection with the Delhi excise policy ‘scam’. (ANI)

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95% Cases Registered By CBI, ED Are Against Opposition: Raghav

By LokMarg 10th October 2023

Alleging that central agencies are silent in the BJP-ruled states, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha added that 95 per cent of the cases registered by the CBI and ED are against politicians of the opposition.

Addressing a news conference here, on Tuesday, the AAP leader said, “In BJP-ruled states agencies are silent and in non-BJP-ruled states agencies are violent. From 2004 to 2014, when there was a UPA Govt in power, ED raided only 112 locations. But from 2014 to 2023, ED raided 3100 locations.”

He further said that the BJP has a special love for AAP, they have jailed several leaders in false cases.

“95 per cent of the cases registered by CBI and ED are against politicians of the Opposition. They have a special love for AAP, they have jailed several of our leaders in false cases…This will be done by only those people who are scared of the INDIA alliance,” he added.

Chadha asserted that the AAP is a party that doesn’t get scared of the agencies’ attacks.

“AAP is a party that doesn’t get scared of the attacks of agencies. Truth and honesty are on the side of AAP and we will fight till the end. BJP may make thousands of attempts and jail whichever AAP leader they want under any false case – in the end, truth, honesty, Arvind Kejriwal and AAP will win. As the Lok Sabha elections approach, attacks by agencies and a nervous BJP will increase,” he added.

Earlier, Sanjay Singh was arrested on October 4, after a day-long questioning by the ED officials at his Delhi residence.

Later, on October 5, the Court sent Sanjay Singh to remand till October 10, 2023, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Meanwhile today, the Rouse Avenue Court here extended the Enforcement Directorate custody of Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh till October 13 in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.

Allegedly, Sanjay Singh’s party colleague and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also involved in the same liquor policy scam. He is currently lodged in jail in connection with the same. The former Delhi Deputy CM and excise minister was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam.

The case connects with claims that Singh and his partners played a part in the Delhi government’s decision to give licenses to alcohol shops and merchants in 2020, causing losses to the state exchequer and violating anti-corruption laws. (ANI)

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Sanjay To Be Produced Before Court By ED

By LokMarg 5th October 2023

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor policy case on Wednesday, will be produced shortly before the Rouse Avenue Court by the ED officials.

Sanjay Singh’s father Dinesh Singh has also arrived at the Rouse Avenue Court.

Sanjay Singh was taken into custody after a day-long interrogation by ED officials at his Delhi residence. He was later brought to the ED office on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, AAP workers and supporters who were protesting the arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh were detained by the police in Mumbai.

The Aam Aadmi party has been protesting in several parts of India after the arrest of Sanjay Singh. AAP workers staged a protest in the national capital at the Aam Aadmi Party office and demanded his release.

Several senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party including Atishi, and Reena Gupta raised slogans against the BJP and demanded the release of AAP leader Sanjay Singh.

Special CP Law and Order Dependra Pathak said, “It is a protest by the Aam Aadmi Party. The crowd is gathering gradually. Police are present here to maintain the law and order professionally. We are in communication with the organisers. We will make sure that law and order are maintained. We will try to contain the protestors.”

Speaking on Sanjay Singh’s arrest and the raids by Central agencies, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai targeted the BJP and said “This is going to continue till the 2024 elections unless the BJP loses”.

AAP workers earlier staged a massive protest in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow over the ED raids conducted at Sanjay Singh’s residence.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal condemned Singh’s arrest stating, “The arrest of Sanjay Singh is completely illegal. This shows Modi ji’s nervousness. They will arrest many more opposition leaders till the elections”.

Also, the AAP MP’s arrest triggered sharp reactions from the leaders of the INDIA alliance.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha said, “It is not the ED that has arrested Sanjay Singh, he has been arrested by the unit of BJP that comprises ED-IT-CBI. Dark days have begun…In this era of dictatorship, jo dar gaya wo mar gaya. The dictators themselves are scared. This fear will be retaliated against soon”.

Notably, Sanjay Singh is the third prominent leader of the AAP, after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, to be arrested by a central agency. (ANI)

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Law Will Take Its Course: Union Min Tomar On Sanjay’s Arrest

By LokMarg 5th October 2023

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar slammed the opposition over the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor policy case and said that the law will take its course against those who indulge in corruption.

Speaking to the Media, Tomar said, “The law will take its course against those who indulge in corruption. PM Modi said that I will neither eat nor allow anyone to eat. Dishonest people should be more careful. Corruption is involved and that is why the CBI and ED have swung into action. ED and CBI get paid to work against dishonest people.”

The arrest of Sanjay Singh is the second high-profile arrest in the case after former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

The federal agency on Wednesday morning raided the residence of AAP leader Sanjay Singh in connection with the now-cancelled liquor excise policy in the national capital. The development followed closely on the heels of the ED’s raid on the premises belonging to two of Sanjay Singh’s close aides in the same context.

Also, the AAP MP’s arrest triggered sharp reactions from the leaders of the INDIA alliance.

The AAP is also set to hold a protest outside the BJP headquarters on Thursday opposing Singh’s arrest. (ANI)

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ED Summons Ranbir In Mahadev Betting App Case

By LokMarg 4th October 2023

Actor Ranbir Kapoor has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate on Friday (October 6) in connection with the Mahadev betting app case.

According to sources Ranbir Kapoor had allegedly carried out promotional activities for the Mahadev betting app. In this case, ED also suspects several other A lister celebrities and certain sports personalities who promoted the app

Mahadev app founders are running 4-5 similar apps. The apps were being run from UAE.All these apps were making a profit of several crores rupees every day

A lavish wedding held this February in the United Arab Emirates caught the attention of the Enforcement Directorate as the entire money-around Rs 200 crore- spent on the bash was paid entirely in cash.

At his wedding held in Ras Al-Khaimah, Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the promoters of Mahadev Online Book Betting app, hired private jets to ferry family members from Nagpur to the UAE and paid celebrities from the Indian film industry to perform, according to the ED.

The agency in mid-September released details of its investigation into the online money laundering case linked with the Mahadev Online Book Betting app. Wedding planners, dancers, decorators etc, were hired from Mumbai and hawala channels were used to make payments in cash, ED had said.

Mahadev Online Book Betting app is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and the laundering of money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.

The ED said Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal who hail from Bhilai in Chattisgarh are the two main promoters of the Mahadev betting platform and ran their operations from Dubai. They had created an empire for themselves in that country.

The agency had recently conducted searches at 39 locations across Raipur, Bhopal, Mumbai and Kolkata and seized illegal assets worth Rs 417 crore. ED has also earnestly taken up investigation abroad.

A Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) special court at Raipur has also issued non-bailable warrants against the suspects.

The ED which is investigating money laundering charges in connection with the Mahadev Online Book app had last month conducted searches in Chhattisgarh and arrested four accused including the chief liaisoner of the betting syndicate, which the probe agency alleged was organizing payment of bribes to senior government functionaries as ‘protection money.’

ED had stated that it has successfully identified other major players involved in the money laundering operations of the Mahadev online booking app. (ANI)

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Raid Underway At Sanjay Singh’s Residence

By LokMarg 4th October 2023

A Directorate Enforcement (ED) raid is underway at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in connection with excise policy case.

Earlier in May this year, MP Sanjay Singh in a letter to Finance Secretary T V Somanathan said that the ED Director and Assistant Director deliberately linked his name to the alleged liquor scam without any basis, tarnishing his public image and defaming him.

Singh mentioned that his name was added on the basis of statements from Dinesh Arora.

Singh also alleged that the officers misused their position tarnished his public image and demanded prosecution against them. He said he already sent a legal notice to the officers to issue an open and public apology.

According to ED sources, the name of the AAP leader appears four times in the ED charge sheet out of which one reference was wrong and typed inadvertently.

At one place Sanjay Singh’s name was mentioned instead of Rahul Singh who was then excise commissioner.

ED is reportedly searching the residence of Sanjay Singh, further details are awaited. (ANI)

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ED Issues Fresh Summons To Abhishek Banerjee

By LokMarg 4th October 2023

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh summon to Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. He has been asked to join the ED investigation on October 9, sources said.

The ED had earlier summoned Banerjee on October 3. However, Banerjee did not appear at the ED office on that date, owing to the party’s MGNREGA protests in Delhi on the same date.

Banerjee alleged that it was a tactic used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government to squash the protests.

“The fight against the deprivation of WB and its rightful dues shall persist regardless of the obstacles. No force on Earth can hinder my dedication to fight for the people of WB and their fundamental rights. I’ll b in Delhi joining the protest on Oct 2nd & 3rd. STOP ME IF U CAN!” Banerjee said in a post on ‘X’.

The TMC general secretary had also alleged that the ED was summoning on days when he had pre-announced public programs.

“Earlier this month, the ED summoned me on a day coinciding with an important coordinating meeting of #INDIA. I dutifully appeared and complied with the served summons,” Banerjee pointed out in an earlier post on X.

The ED had summoned Abhishek Banerjee under section 50 of the PMLA. The summons to Banerjee came after the central probe agency conducted raids in the office of ‘Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd’ which the federal agency alleged was “used for making dubious transactions running into crores of rupees.” The ED claimed that Banerjee is the chief executive officer of the company.

Banerjee was earlier summoned by the ED in connection with the alleged teacher recruitment scam in September.

Abhsihek Banerjee on Tuesday had led TMC protests against the Centre in Delhi over what the party said was the centre’s refusal to provide funds to the state.

The TMC alleged that the Centre has been withholding Rs 15,000 crore in dues to the state under schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and PM Awas Yojana.

Several TMC leaders including Abhishek Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien were also detained by the Delhi Police during the protest. (ANI)

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ED Seizes ₹417 Crore From Online Betting Site Mahadev

By LokMarg 15th September 2023

The Enforcement Directorate has conducted searches against the money laundering networks linked with Mahadev APP in cities like Kolkata, Bhopal, Mumbai and retrieved incriminating evidences, besides seizing proceeds of crime worth Rs 417 crore.

Mahadev online betting APP is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enrol new Users, create User IDs and laundering of money through a layered web of benami bank accounts, the ED said in a statement.

ED investigation into the matter has revealed that Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal who hail from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, are the main promoters of Mahadev and are running their operations from Dubai.

“Large scale hawala operations are done to siphon off the proceeds of betting to off-shore accounts. Large expenditure in cash is also being done in India for advertising of betting websites and self-grandizement necessary to attract new Users and franchise (panel) seekers,” ED noted.

The ED had earlier conducted searches in Chhattisgarh and arrested four accused including the chief liaisoner of this betting syndicate which was organizing payment of the bribes to senior government functionaries as ‘protection money’.

Till date, ED has conducted searches at 39 locations across Raipur, Bhopal, Mumbai and Kolkata and has seized illegal assets worth Rs 417 crore.

The ED has now taken up an investigation abroad. PMLA Special Court at Raipur has also issued NBWs (non-bailable warrants) against absconding suspects. (ANI)

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‘This Is Double-Barrel Govt’: Sibal Slams Centre At AAP Rally

By LokMarg 11th June 2023

Former Congress leader Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday hit out at the Central Government accusing it of misusing the central agencies. He called the PM Modi-led BJP government a double-barrel government- one barrel is ED and the second barrel is CBI.

Sibal said this while addressing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) mega rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.

“I remember before 2014 when we were in the UPA government, Arvind Kejriwal used to oppose us. But times have changed, governments have changed, and prime ministers have changed. He (PM Narendra Modi) said, you have given 60 years to Congress, now just give seven months to us, and we will make India progressive and he did change India’s map in 120 months. He made the media, Election Commission, and Enforcement Directorate (ED) CBI sit on his lap,” Sibal added while hitting out at the BJP government.

“PM Modi always talks about double engine government, but the aim is to destroy the entire opposition. This is a double-barrel government, ED and CBI. The constitution says that three things will be at the Center- Land, Police and Public Order and the Kejriwal government of Delhi will not be able to interfere with them. Apart from this, there will be no power with the Centre.”

Sibal further said that the assembly was made so that people can get their work done but actually what PM Modi wants is being done.

He claimed that the PM Modi-led BJP government’s only aim is to destroy the entire opposition.

Calling for a united fight against the PM Modi-led BJP government, Sibal said, “My purpose in the coming days will be to go to different places and tell people that the time has come, we need to unite and fight against PM Modi”.

“In the coming days, I will go to every state and appeal that we have to fight against PM Modi. Just like PM Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’, I want to share mine. Today, the public is grinding. There is no department through which the common people are getting benefitted. I made a decision a few months ago that we are starting a website- Soldiers of Justice. I would like to appeal to Arvind Kejriwal to urge people to join,” he said in his speech.

He further added, “The decisions are taken by the government and the secretary has to follow them, but he said that the secretary will remain with us. The matter went to court and the Supreme Court decided that the responsibility of the secretary would remain with the cabinet. It is expected that the Supreme Court will set aside the decision. If there is an attack on the Constitution, we all stand together and oppose it.”

“Together we will defeat Modi ji on one platform,” Kapil Sibal added.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) organised a mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila ground on Sunday against the Centre’s Ordinance on control over administrative services in the national capital.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Minister Gopal Rai, party MP Sanjay Singh and other party leaders attended the rally. (ANI)