New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested Delhi Health Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain in a case connected to hawala transactions related to a Kolkata-based company, ANI reported. The minister was taken into custody under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In a tweet, Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia said a "fake case" was being run against Satyendar Jain for 8 years. "ED called many times before and stopped for many years in between as they couldn't find anything. Now, it's started again as he's poll in-charge of Himachal Pradesh...He will be released in few days as case is bogus," Sisodia tweeted.
Last month, assets worth Rs 4.81 crore of the family and companies "beneficially owned and controlled" by Jain were provisionally attached by ED.
In a statement last month, 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 had 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 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.
The CBI has claimed that Jain purchased 200 bighas of agricultural land in the names of companies controlled by him in Delhi in five years preceding 2018 and "laundered black money" to the tune of several crores of rupees.
The CBI alleged that Jain controlled these companies in the past either in the form of being one of the directors or by holding one-third of shares of these companies in his name or in the names of his family members.
The laundered funds were allegedly used to purchase over 200 bighas of land in Auchandi, Bawana, Karala and Mohammed Mazvi villages in Delhi between 2010-16, the CBI had said.
The Income Tax department too had probed these transactions and issued an order attaching "benami assets" allegedly linked to Jain.
(With inputs from PTI)