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ED Opposes Sisodia’s Bail

By LokMarg 5th April 2023

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday opposed the bail plea of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and said that the agency is in the process of gathering some fresh evidence as there is some crucial evidence that is still being unearthed.

ED lawyer further submitted that our investigation is not into the scheduled offence but is an investigation into the process of activity involved in the generation and use of proceeds of crime.
Appearing for Manish Sisodia, Advocate Vivek Jain argued that no PMLA case has been made against him. “Section 45 of PMLA would come against me only if an offence under Section 3 is made out,” Advocate Vivek Jain said.

“ED’s reply opposing my bail doesn’t even show I have concealed any proceeds of crime or acquired any proceeds of crime, or I projected proceeds of crime. Not a single rupee has come into my account or my family’s account. They have raided my home, and they have checked my bank accounts. They even have gone to my native place,” he argued.

The Special Judge MK Nagpal after noting down the submissions, kept the matter for April 12, 2023, for further arguements in the bail.

Meanwhile, the Court also extended the Judicial Custody of Manish Sisodia in the ED case of excise case till April 17, 2023.

Manish Sisodia was physically produced before the Court on Wednesday at the end of his Judicial remand period, granted earlier.

The Rouse Avenue Court was hearing a bail plea of Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD.

The Enforcement Directorate on the last date had filed its lengthy reply opposing the bail plea in the court.

Last week the same court dismissed the bail plea of Sisodia in the CBI case related to the Excise matter.

Earlier, while sending Sisodia on ED remand Court said, it cannot be ignored that investigation into an ED case is a complicated affair and keeping in view the intricacies of the case, the multiplicity of the persons/accused involved in the commission of the alleged offence of money laundering and the huge volume of the records or data seized during the investigation and required to be analysed by the Investigating Agency, it is bound to take some time and the IO or InvestigatingAgency cannot be faulted or blamed for the same, though they are duty bound to do and conclude it as early as possible.

Appearing for ED earlier, Advocates Zohaib Hossain submitted that huge mail data, mobile data all of that are being forensically analyzed. The mobile phone was changed the day when LG wrote to the CBI, which was used by Sisodia for a long time.

Counsel for ED had further submitted that the statements were confirmed by the recovery of the data received from the computer of the arrestee. Mobile data, email data, and cloud data were also received during the interpretation.

Earlier, ED said, the act of pro-active destruction of evidence leads to only one inference that Manish Sisodia made conscious efforts to destroy evidence of the offence of money laundering, said Enforcement Directorate while seeking remand of Manish Sisodia in connection with the Excise Policy case.

Appearing for ED, Advocates Zohaib Hossain and Naveen Kumar Matta had earlier submitted that even in the statement given by Manish Sisodia on 07.03.2023 and 09.03.2023, he has been untrue. “On being asked about his association with Dinesh Arora, who handled the transfer of kickbacks from the South Group to Vijay Nair, he gave an answer contrary to what has been revealed by independent persons/stakeholders.

The ED earlier also told the court that Manish Sisodia had purchased SIM cards and mobile phones in other people’s names.

There was a conspiracy behind framing the excise policy. The conspiracy was coordinated by Vijay Nair, along with others and the Excise policy was brought out for extraordinary profit margin for wholesalers, ED argued in the court.

ED told the court that the margin of 12 per cent of wholesale profit margin to private entities was never discussed in the GoM meeting.

Countering Sisodia’s lawyer’s arguements, the ED lawyer told the court that if the policy is a matter of executive then there would not be a coal scam or a 2G scam.

He was arrested during his Judicial custody in Tihar Jail, where he was lodged in.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9 arrested former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case, after hours of questioning at Tihar Jail.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in the liquor policy case on February 26, 2023. The same Court on March 24, had kept the order reserved on bail plea of Sisdodia in CBI case and fixed March 31, for the pronouncement of the order.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier in its ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). (ANI)

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ED Questioning Sisodia In Tihar

By LokMarg 9th March 2023

Enforcement Directorate (ED) is questioning former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia at Tihar Jail in connection with its ongoing probe in Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ED questioned and recorded his statement of Sisodia.
The probe agency has also made a fresh arrest in the case as it took custody of Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai.

The ED has summoned Bharatiya Rashtriya Samiti (BRS) MLC and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha for questioning on Thursday.

Kavitha was questioned by the CBI in December last year.

Sisodia was arrested on February 26 in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court sent him to Judicial Custody till March 20.

ED, last year filed its first chargesheet in the case. The agency said it has so far undertaken nearly 200 search operations in this case after filing FIR after taking cognisance of a CBI case which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor.

The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary’s report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said.

In October, the ED had raided nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab following the arrest of Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Delhi’s Jor Bagh-based liquor distributor Indospirit Group, in the case and arrested him later.

The CBI too filed its first charge sheet in the case early this week.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19.

This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. (ANI)

ED Raids House Of Hurriyat Leader Qazi Yasir

By LokMarg 9th March 2023

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted a raid at the house of Hurriyat leader Qazi Ahmed Yasir in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A team of ED officials with security officials raided the house on Thursday morning.
More details are awaited.

Last month, the district administration of Anantnag demolished an illegal shopping complex of Yasir.

Qazi Ahmed Yasir is a Kashmiri political leader, the former Mirwaiz of South Kashmir and a renowned scholar.

He was suspended from the post of Mirwaiz in 2018 after a purported video surfaced showing him in an obscene act with a woman. However, the case is being investigated by a body of socio, political, legal and religious activists from the Kashmir valley.

Since 2018 he has been in jail.

He was a member of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) led by its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Earlier in a major crackdown, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also sealed the APHC head office in Rajbagh, Srinagar. (ANI)

Chhattisgarh Court Gives ED 4-day Custody of CM Aide Soumya

By LokMarg 6th December 2022

A court of Ajay Singh Rajput in Raipur on Tuesday granted four-day custody of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s Deputy Secretary Soumya Chaurasia to ED in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

The court also extended the judicial custody of the other accused Suryakant Tiwari, Sameer Vishnoi, Laxmikant Tiwari and Sunil Agarwal till December 10.

ED Lawyer Saurabh Pandey said the four accused, who were already on judicial remand, were produced before the court along with Deputy Secretary Chaurasia on Tuesday.

“We were asked by the court to record the statement of the accused on December 3 and 4. When we recorded their statements in jail and checked various documents. We have to investigate the context of certain details pertaining to the case. So during the hearing, we requested the court to extend their judicial custody for further investigation,” Pandey said, adding that the court accepted our arguments and extended the judicial custody till December 10.

Pandey added, “During Chaurasia’s interrogation, many facts came to light. We demanded her custody for further investigation. The court accepted our argument and granted four-day custody to ED.”

The next hearing into the matter will be held on December 10. (ANI)

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ED Arrests Chhattisgarh CM’s Deputy Secy In Corruption Case

By LokMarg 2nd December 2022

Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasia in connection with an illegal mining case, sources said.

Earlier in October, the Enforcement Directorate arrested IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi from Chhattisgarh after questioning him in a money laundering case.

The enforcement agency also arrested Sunil Agarwal of Indramani Group and Laxmikant Tiwari, a relative of businessman Suryakant Tiwari who’s currently under the agency’s scanner, they said, adding that raids were carried out on Tuesday in Raigadh, Raipur, Durg, and Mahasamund.

ED found Rs 4 crore in cash during the raids in, besides unaccounted jewellery and gold too was recovered. The sources said that government officials were running an alleged extortion racket by imposing illegal levies and collecting Rs 25 per tonne from coal suppliers. (ANI)

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ED Searches In 16 Locations, 3 Metros On Money Laundering Charges

By LokMarg 2nd December 2022

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has searched 16 premises across Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi covering the office and residential premises of a few firms and their promoters under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

They are Securekloud Technologies Limited, Pro Fin Capital Services Limited, Quantum Global Securities Limited (QGSL), Unity Global Financial Services Pvt Limited, and Desert River Capital Pvt Ltd.
In this matter, the searches conducted led to the seizure of Rs 1. 04 crores in cash, gold, and diamond jewellery, the identification of immovable properties of more than Rs 30 crore and other movable assets in various DEMAT accounts as well as the seizure of incriminating documents and digital evidence.

The agency has initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR filed on February 02, 2019, which was filed by Suresh Venkatachari, the promoter, and CEO of Securekloud Technologies Limited.

PMLA investigation revealed that the directors and beneficial owners of these share brokerage and financial services companies have transferred the shares worth Rs.160 crore off-market and subsequently sold the same to generate huge proceeds of crime, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

“The investigation also revealed that the complaint lodged by the Promoter of STL was misleading as he and his CFO are involved in the larger conspiracy of the cheating public by way of inflating the books of the company, diverting funds of the company to the unrelated business activities of the companies having stakes of CFO and CEO of STL (Securekloud),” it added.

Further investigation is under progress, the agency said. (ANI)

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ED Questions Vijay Over Funding Of Liger

By LokMarg 30th November 2022

Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday questioned actor Vijay Deverakonda in connection with the funding of the film ‘Liger’.

According to sources, Vijay was questioned in a case related to an alleged FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999) violation.
Vijay was recently seen in a sports action film ‘Liger’ alongside Ananya Panday which failed to impress the audience at the box office.

Backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the film also stars Ramya Krishnan. The film revolves around a young guy, Liger (Vijay) and his widowed mother Balamani (Ramya Krishnan), who have come from Telangana to Mumbai because she wants to see her son become a national MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) champion.

Vijay underwent mixed martial arts training in Thailand while he prepared for his character in Liger. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. Besides Telugu, Vijay has dubbed his lines in Hindi as well. The film marked American boxer Mike Tyson’s Bollywood debut as well.

Meanwhile, the actor is preparing to make a grand comeback from his next Pan-India action thriller, ‘Jana Gana Mana,’ slated to be released in 2023.

Reportedly, the ‘Arjun Reddy’ actor is about to begin shooting for his next film ‘Jana Gana Mana’ with director Puri Jaggannadh.

The ‘World Famous Lover’ will also be seen in an upcoming romantic drama film ‘Khusi’ alongside south actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu, which is all set to hit the theatres on December 23, 2022. (ANI)

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Not Getting Proper Food, Medical, Have Lost 28 Kgs: Satyendar

By LokMarg 22nd November 2022

Jailed Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday submitted before the trial court that he has not been getting privileges like proper food and medical check-up in Tihar Jail and has lost around 28 kg weight in custody.

Satyendar Jain’s counsel Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra alleged that Enforcement Directorate is leaking sensitive information to the media despite the order of this Court and undertaking given in this court.
“I am defamed every single minute by their act,” he said.

Rahul Mehra also denied ED allegations of getting privileged treatment in Tihar Jail. He asked, “What privilege are they talking about?”

“I have lost 28 kg in jail. Is this what a privileged person in jail gets? I’m not even getting proper food. What privilege are they talking about? No prison rules are violated if an undertrial is pressing his hand or feet,” said Satyendar Jain.

However, appearing for ED, Advocate Zohaib Hossain denied the allegations made by Satyendar Jain’s lawyer and said that there is not a single leak from the Enforcement Directorate.

“We will see that guilty are brought to justice,” the advocate said.

Advocate Zohaib submitted that they (Satyendar Jain and his advocates) were advised physiotherapy so he was taking it. Many officials of Tihar have been suspended so far. The LG has also initiated an inquiry. Transfers of some top officers also took place.

Zoheb Hossain further submitted that presuming a leak on our behalf is preposterous. There has been no leak and there will be no leak. The allegation of leaking information is already in the public domain.

Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra also submitted that they (agencies) have already put him on the gallows. “Even Ajmal Kasab got a free and fair trial,” he said.

“I am surely not worse than that. All I seek is a fair and free trial. Please look at the kind of media reports that are running against him and that is in their interest,” Mehra submitted to the Court.

Rahul Mehra also showed some screenshots of several prominent channels running reply copy content in this case. Mehra says the matter is already pending before this court but it’s again leaked.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull was hearing arguments on Satyendar Jain contempt plea against ED over the alleged leakage of footage from inside his jail cell to the media. The court after hearing the arguments listed the matter for November 28, 2022, for detailed arguments.

Court noted that Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju is leading the matter for ED, who is not present for personal reasons.

It was also informed to the court that multiple agencies are investigating how Tihar Jail was compromised for benefiting Satyendar Jain. The footage was also given to the counsel of Satyendar Jain. The primary source of footage was Tihar Jail, said the ED.

On Saturday, Satyendar Jain moved the special court with an application seeking contempt action against Enforcement Directorate. Jain’s legal team alleged that ED has leaked the CCTV video despite the undertaking given in the court. (ANI)

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Big Khela In WB, TMC May Not Survive In December: BJP MLA

By LokMarg 22nd November 2022

Stating that there will be a ‘big khela’ in West Bengal, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Agnimitra Paul on Tuesday claimed that the Trinamool Congress-led state government would not survive after December this year.

The leader further claimed that over 30 MLAs of the ruling TMC are in touch with the BJP and that the Mamata Banerjee-led government’s “existence is at stake”.
“There will be a ‘khela’ here in December. More than 30 TMC MLAs are in contact with our party. They know that their Govt will not continue for long after December. Their existence is at stake,” Paul told ANI.

The BJP leader also claimed that West Bengal is moving towards a “financial emergency” while accusing Mamata of running a “bankrupt government”.

“We will not tell the strategy, but something will happen. Our leadership is repeatedly claiming that there will be a big khela in December. We are moving towards a financial emergency. It is a bankrupt government. They do not have money. How would they work? 50 per cent of those running the state are in jail. The rest 50 per cent will also go to jail. Who will run the government?” she said.

The BJP leader’s remarks come weeks after the party’s state president Sukanta Majumdar claimed in September that Mamata would be arrested and that over 40 TMC leaders were in touch with the BJP.

He had further gone on to claim that the TMC government will fall in December.

“Mamata Banerjee may be arrested by December. 41 TMC people’s names are with top leadership. The government will fall in December,” Majumdar had claimed.

Similar claims were also made by BJP leader and film star Mithun Chakraborty who had claimed to be in touch with TMC MLAs.

“I am in touch with 21 MLAs of Mamata Banerjee’s party, I said this earlier, and again, I stand by my point. I request you just wait for the time,” added Mithun Chakraborty.

Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari said that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won’t last even for the next six months in the state.

His remarks came after the ruling party put up posters claiming that a “new and reformed TMC” come in the next six months.

“Enforcement Directorate(ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are doing their job. This party (TMC) will not last for even six months, December is their deadline,” LoP Suvendu Adhikari had said in Purba Medinipur. (ANI)

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Delhi Court Defers Satyender’s Bail Plea Till Tomorrow

By LokMarg 16th November 2022

The CBI Court at Rouse Avenue on Wednesday deferred for tomorrow the pronouncement of the order on bail petitions of Delhi Minister Satyender Jain, and two others in the Money Laundering case.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Satyender Jain on May 30.
Special CBI Judge Vikas Dhull on Wednesday said the order copy is not ready for all three accused. It will take some time. Will pass the order tomorrow at 2 pm.

The Court on November 11, had kept the order reserved after the conclusion of arguments from all sides.

During arguments, it was submitted on behalf of Jain that the investigation related to the applicant has been completed and a charge sheet has been filed. No case of money laundering is made out against the applicant.

Senior advocates N. Hariharan and Rahul Mehra submitted that it is alleged that a conspiracy for money laundering was hatched in 2010. At the time neither Jain was an MLA nor a Minister. So how could he hatch a conspiracy for money laundering?

It was also submitted that as per the charge sheet the other accused have admitted that the money allegedly laundered belongs to them. Jain has nothing to do with the companies in question.

On the other hand, the bail plea was opposed by the ASG for ED. The ASG S V Raju submitted that there are witnesses and materials sufficient to make out a case of money laundering against the accused.

ASG submitted that the accused was involved in money laundering with other accused. He sent money to Kolkata-based companies and that money belong to Jain. He is the conspirator and kingpin.

ED also raised the issue of special treatment given to Satyender Jain in the Tihar Jail. Special food is being provided to him and getting massages from unknown people. Most of the time he is either in the hospital or in jail enjoying these facilities, said the ED.

The enforcement agency has alleged that the companies which were “beneficially owned and controlled” by Jain had received accommodation entries amounting to Rs 4.81 crore from the shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through a hawala route.

The ED case is based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) complaint registered on the allegation that Satyender Jain had acquired movable properties in the name of various persons from February 14, 2015, to May 31, 2017, which he could not satisfactorily account for. (ANI)

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