Land deal case: ED grills Khadse
MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse for over seven hours on Friday in an alleged case of money laundering in a 3-acre land deal in Bhosari, Pune. The land was allegedly bought at an undervalued price. It was the first day of questioning and Khadse is believed to have been called for another round of questioning.
The NCP leader reached ED office around 10.30am and left at 6pm. Talking to reporters outside the ED office at Ballard Pier in south Mumbai on Friday evening, he said, “I have answered all the questions and have also submitted necessary documents required in the probe. I am ready to extend full cooperation in the investigation and will come whenever called.”
ED officials questioned him in connection with alleged money laundering in the land deal, money transactions related to the deal and suspected proceeds of the crime, ED sources said. ED officials refused to reveal the details of questioning.
Khadse, who left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and defected to NCP in October, is under scrutiny for allegations of graft and conflict of interest in the land deal. The ED’S probe is based on a case filed by the state anti-corruption bureau (ACB) in April 2017 followed by a complaint by Pune-based businessman Hemant Gawande who accused Khadse of defrauding the public exchequer in the Bhosari land deal. It is alleged that the plot was bought by his wife Mandakini and son-in-law Girish Choudhary in 2016 for ₹3.75 crore against the prevalent market rate of around ₹30 crore.
He was supposed to appear before the probing agency on December 30 but it was delayed as he tested positive for Covid-19.
Pune ACB, in its closure report, gave Khadse a clean chit. In its report filed before a Pune court in 2018, ACB had said there was no evidence to prove that the former revenue minister was aware that his wife and son-inlaw had purchased the plot.
Justice Dinkar Zoting Commission had also conducted inquiries in the matter, but the commission’s report was never revealed publicly.
While leaving the BJP, the former revenue minister had challenged the BJP that if he is attacked by initiating cases through central agencies at the time of his induction in the NCP, then he would counter the same with revelations of corruption in the BJP. “If they unleash ED on me, I will show CD,” the leader had said.