The Enforcement Directorate (ED) placed its radar on TN Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan on Wednesday. The ED has urged the court to permit assisting the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in probing the case of a disproportionate asset against the Minister. The move comes after the ED arrested and imprisoned Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji. The ED also questioned and raided Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi recently.
According to IANS, N Ramesh, the Special Public Prosecutor for the ED, appearing before the Thoothukudi Principal Court said, "The accused was a sitting Minister in the Tamil Nadu cabinet and therefore the situation should not create even a shadow of public distrust in the handling of prosecution by the state agency."
The court said that they will hear the matter on August 2. The Minister and DVAC have filed separate counter affidavits to the petition by ED. The Court also questioned the ED's local standi in the case.
The disproportionate assets case against the Minister pertains to the alleged amassed wealth by the Minister when he was the Housing Minister in the then AIADMK government from 2001-2006. On September 7, 2006, DVAC registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
On July 19, 2013, the DVAC had filed a separate chargesheet against the Minister, his wife, son and brothers. On December 15, 2017, the trial court framed charges against the accused.
On December 22, 2020, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act of 2002.
The ED had then alleged that the prime accused persons were unable to explain the source or prove the genuiness of such cash deposits.
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