The Enforcement Directorate is likely to take tough action against over a dozen of politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen, who are under its scanner, in the coming days, in a move that is likely to help it shed its “caged parrot” reputation, acquired during the tenure of the previous government.
An ED source revealed exclusively to this newspaper: “A bunch of politicians and bureaucrats are under the scanner of the agency and all are likely to face stiff action soon. In cases where the probe has been completed, the ED will move further and make several arrests in the coming days.”
The ED is mulling to arrest those who are facing money laundering charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. “The agency has already made up its mind and prepared all the ground work for initiating action. Post-Demonetisation, the ED has carried out a proactive role and has launched a hitting action against all those involved in the cases of money laundering,” the ED source said.
Acting on the mandate assigned to it, the ED has tightened up its grip against the Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family. “The investigation against Lalu Yadav and his family members is being done at a fast pace and the agency is likely to proceed further in the case. The ED has already seized several properties linked to the Yadav family and it is about to grill Lalu Yadav,” the ED source quoted above told The Sunday Guardian.
The ED is probing Lalu Yadav and his family members under the PMLA for alleged irregularities committed by them in awarding tenders to a private firm for development, maintenance and operation of railway hotels in Ranchi and Puri while the former Bihar CM was serving as the Railway Minister.
After Lalu Yadav, the next name in the ED’s list is of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidamabaram. The cases against the father-son duo pertain to alleged irregularities in issuing Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to a media group. The ED earlier this week had attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 1.16 crore belonging to Karti.
While talking to The Sunday Guardian, a senior ED official said, “The ED has strong evidence against Karti. The agency has already started second phase action against him and has seized properties that belong to Karti. The ED will continue seizure of property and its course of action against Karti.”
“Other than Karti, Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran are likely to face ED action soon. The Maran brothers were named in the 2G scam (Aircel-Maxis case) and the ED is probing it,” the official quoted above added.
According to the ED sources, there are difficult days ahead for Trinamool Congress as Mamta Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, along with more than six TMC leaders, is under the scanner of ED. The ED is investigating Abhishek Banerjee’s alleged involvement in a money laundering case. The ED has already questioned several TMC parliamentarians and legislators from West Bengal for their alleged role in the Narada sting case.
The names which the ED has under its scanner are that of Ramalinga Raju, boss of a software company; Hassan Ali Khan, a Mumbai based farm owner; former Chief Minister of Mumbai Chhagan Bhujbal; liquor baron Vijay Mallya; former IPL boss Lalit Modi; former telecom minister A. Raja; Yadav Singh, former bureaucrat from Uttar Pradesh; Anand Kumar, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo Mayawati’s brother; and Satyendar Jain, Delhi’s health minister.
Rajendra Malhotra, ED’s lawyer in Delhi, outlined the agency’s independent role while talking to this reporter: “Recently, with the proactive action against several politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen, including Moin Qureshi, Lalu Yadav and Karti Chidambram, the ED has proved that it has been given a free hand to counter the high profile accused involved in the cases of corruption across the country.”
He added: “In the past, when the agency acted tough against politicians, the politicians alleged that the ED was executing the agenda of the ruling party. But in the changing political scenario, the same excuses have no meaning. The ED seems to care little about such allegations,” Malhotra added.
A source in the ED said, “Since 8 November 2016, the ED has filed more than 90 cases related to black money under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and PMLA. All these cases are very important, involving a huge amount of
money.”