Court bins Maharashtra mantri's plea to drop PMLA case

NEW DELHI: In a setback to Ajit-Pawar led NCP and a judgment that can have bearing on other PMLA case s, a special court in Mumbai on Friday rejected a plea of NCP heavyweight and Maharashtra cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal that money laundering case against him and other associates be dropped. The minister unsuccessfully argued that ACB FIR (scheduled offence), a prerequisite for a PMLA case, has been quashed.

The probe against Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and other associates was first initiat ed by ACB, Maharashtra on directions of Bombay HC. After an initial inquiry, ACB registered an FIR in June 2015. This was the basis for ED to register an investigation under PMLA.

However, ACB later dropped charges against accused Bhujbals. Encouraged by their acquittal by ACB, the accused moved special court seeking PMLA case against them to be dropped, too, since it requires existence of a scheduled offence. The PMLA special court, however, rejected their contention, distinguishing between schedule offence and the one under PMLA while observing that “facts emerging therefrom, even on taking them at their face value, disclose the existence of ingredients constituting the alleged offence”.

ED had completed its probe and filed a chargesheet back in 2016. The special court took cognisance of the chargesheet, prima facie validating the ED findings and allowing charges to be framed against the accused.

The probe linked ‘proceeds of crime’ of Rs 280 crore, received by one of the alleged associates of Bhujbal, as kickbacks generated in lieu of the works awarded without tender for construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and RTO office in Andheri. Bhujbal was then PWD minister in Maharashtra govt and responsible for award of the work. ED during its investigation had arrested Bhujbal and others and attached assets of the accused worth Rs 433 crore.