Delhi minister Satyendra Jain arrested by ED in money laundering case, AAP says BJP scared of losing Himachal polls

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in connection with a money laundering case on Monday. The probe agency alleged that the Delhi minister was involved in hawala transactions with a Kolkata-based firm in 2015-16.

The agency had said last month that assets worth Rs 4.81 crore of Jain’s family and companies “beneficially owned and controlled” by him were provisionally attached as part of a money laundering probe against him. In 2018, the ED had questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in connection with the case.

The ED case is based on a 2017 FIR of the CBI against Jain under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CBI complaint had said Jain could not explain the source of funds received by four companies in which he was a shareholder. The agency had registered a case against him, his wife and four others on charges of corruption. The CBI has also questioned him in the case earlier.

It had said that Rs 4.63 crore was allegedly received through Prayas Info Solutions, Akinchan Developers, Managalyatan Projects and Indo-Metal Impex Pvt Limited in 2015-16. They had said Jain and his wife were allegedly holders of one-third of the shares in these companies during the period.

The CBI has alleged that Jain had control over these companies either as a directors or by holding one-third of the shares of these companies in his name or in the names of his family members or others.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia hit out at the BJP, saying that the saffron party was scared of losing the upcoming assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, where Jain is Aam Aadmi Party’s election in-charge.

“A fake case is being run against Satyendar Jain for eight years. Till now ED (Enforcement Directorate) has called many times. In between, ED stopped calling for many years as they did not get anything. Now they started again because Satyendar Jain is the election in-charge of Himachal,” Sisodia tweeted.

“BJP is losing badly in Himachal. That is why Satyendar Jain has been arrested today so that he cannot go to Himachal. He will be released in a few days as the case is completely fake,” he added.

During an AAP rally in January this year, AAP convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had quoted “his sources” telling him that Jain would likely be arrested by the ED. “From our sources, we have got to know that right before Punjab polls, in the coming few days, the ED is going to arrest Satyendar Jain. They are most welcome. Previously too, the centre had conducted raids on Satyendar Jain but got nothing,” he had told reporters before the Punjab Assembly elections.