The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday raided the residence of Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendar Jain and six other locations in connection with a money laundering case dating back to 2015. The Aam Aadmi Party leader is currently in ED custody till June 9 after he was held by ED on May 30 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Additionally, the ED also conducted raids at seven locations – six in Delhi and one in Gurugram, including the residence of Jain.
According to the ED chargesheet against Jain, the probe revealed that back in 2015-16, when Jain was with the central public works department, four firms “beneficially owned and controlled by him” received “accommodation entries (a term used for hawala transfers) to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through hawala route.”
Under the PMLA, the ED stated that it had ordered to “attach immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd.; Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd; Paryas Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd.; Manglayatan Projects Pvt. Ltd.; J.J. Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd.; Swati Jain, wife of Vaibhav Jain; Sushila Jain, wife of Ajit Prasad Jain; and Indu Jain, wife of Sunil Jain.”
“These amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land or for repayment of loan taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi,” the ED said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has defended Jain calling him a “patriot” while terming the case against him “fraud.” He has alleged that the central probe agency’s move to arrest Jain was an act of political vendetta by the PM Narendra Modi-led government ahead of the Himachal state assembly elections. Citing several news reports on Sunday, Kejriwal said that the ED has submitted in the Delhi HC that Jain “is not an accused.” “The central government itself said in the court that Satyendra Jain is not an “accused”. How did you become corrupt when there are no accused?,” tweeted Kejriwal