Money Laundering Case: Delhi Court Sends Minister Satyendar Jain To 14-Day Judicial Custody

Jain's custody was extended by the Delhi court on June 9 until June 13 as the investigating agency sought more time to confront him on the new material recovered during raids. 

The Rouse Avenue court has sent Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain to judicial custody for 14 days in a money laundering case, news agency ANI reported. 

Jain was booked by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this month on the basis of an FIR lodged by CBI in a 2017 case. He was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act's criminal provisions (PMLA).

Jain's custody was extended by the Delhi court on June 9 until June 13 as the investigating agency sought more time to confront him on the new material recovered during raids. 

The investigation agency claimed it raided Jain and his colleagues, including a jewellery store, and recovered Rs 2.8 crore in cash and 133 gold coins. The ED inspected at least six or seven places, including the minister's apartment and a jewellery business in South East Delhi.

Earlier, in a statement, the ED said the "attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belong 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".

In 2018, the ED questioned the AAP leader in connection with the case. The ED said Jain had worked in the Central Public Works Department and later quit his job to set up an architectural consultancy firm.

The ED, during the investigation, found that "during the period 2015-16, when Satyendar Jain was a public servant, the companies beneficially owned and controlled by him received accommodation entries to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from shell (paper) companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the hawala route".

"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 statement had said.

The ED started to probe Satyendar Jain after CBI filed an FIR against him and others on charges of alleged possession of disproportionate assets on August 2017.