Anil Deshmukh’s son has also been summoned by the ED on 7 July.
Mumbai: Former Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh has been issued fresh summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for appearance on 5 July in a money laundering case investigation being conducted against him and others. According to an ED official, this is the third notice issued to the NCP leader for deposing before the investigating officer of the case. Deshmukh has been asked to record his statement at the central agency’s office in south Mumbai on Monday. Meanwhile, Anil Deshmukh’s son has also been summoned by Enforcement Directorate on 7 July.
Deshmukh had skipped the two earlier summons citing his “vulnerability” to Covid-19 as the reason for non-compliance in his last communication to the agency. A special NIA court allowed the CBI to record the statement of dismissed police officer Sachin Waze as part of its probe into corruption allegations against Deshmukh.
Waze was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home and the murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran who had claimed to be in possession of the vehicle before it was stolen.
The CBI had, on Thursday, moved an application before the special NIA court seeking to meet Waze, who is in judicial custody and lodged in Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, and record his statement in connection with the probe against Deshmukh.
The CBI is probing Deshmukh under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC provisions for “attempt to obtain undue advantage for the improper and dishonest performance of public duty” after IPS officer and former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh leveled corruption allegations against the then state home minister.
Deshmukh had skipped the ED’s first summons last week also following searches at his residence in Nagpur. He had sought more time to appear before the financial probe agency.
The NCP leader also said that he would furnish all information and documents sought by the ED after the agency provided him a copy of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) filed by it in the case. He further mentioned that the ED summons “do not clarify” the purpose of his personal appearance before it. On 26 June, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Deshmukh’s personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde in connection with an alleged “hafta” case. In its remand copy of the two officials of Deshmukh, the ED said that over Rs 4 crore collected from bar owners between December 2020 and February 2021 was routed to Deshmukh’s charitable trust in Nagpur, through four shell companies in Delhi.