NEW DELHI, Dec 29: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a supplementary charge sheet against former home minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh in a money laundering and corruption case.
Deshmukh was arrested by the central agency on November 1 after being questioned for 12 hours. He was sent to ED custody till November 6 and is currently lodged at Arthur Road Jail.
The 7,000-page charge sheet is submitted before a special prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) court. The agency has contended that the Deshmukh family has controlled activities of 27 dummy companies based in Delhi and used that money to donate ₹4.18 crore to Deshmukh’s trust ‘Sai Shikshan Sanstha.’
There are statements by bar owners and managers that claim that the dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze, currently lodged at Taloja Central Jail, collected money from them. Vaze in his statement had also stated that he was getting direct instructions from Deshmukh to do so. Vaze has said he was told to collect ₹3 lakh per month from various bars and restaurants and that he handed over ₹4.70 crores from December 2020 to February 2021 to Deshmukh’s personal assistant Kundan Shinde.
On August 23, 2021, ED submitted its charge-sheet against Shinde, Deshmukh, and the latter’s private secretary Sanjeev Palande. It contained Palande’s statement admitting that Deshmukh had a role in transfer posting of police officers, especially the posting of IPS officers.
The case dates back to March 20, 2021 when former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote a letter to the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accusing Deshmukh of abusing his position and powers to seek illegal monetary benefits. The letter mentioned instances of Deshmukh directing Vaze and others to collect ₹100 crores from bars and restaurants every month.
Soon thereafter, the High Court directed a preliminary enquiry to be held against Deshmukh by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The ED then stepped in and began conducting a probe into allegations of money laundering against Deshmukh.
On April 21, an FIR was registered against Deshmukh under section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
(Manas Dasgupta)