Case against Anil Deshmukh: ED to record petitioner Jaishri Patil’s statement today
MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned advocate Jaishri Patil on Wednesday to record her statement in connection with the money laundering case against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Patil is one of the petitioners who had approached the Bombay high court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Deshmukh after former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh alleged that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader ran an ‘extortion racket’ in Mumbai.
“As the case against Deshmukh
is mainly based on my petition, ED has summoned me to record my statement, which would hold key importance in the case. I would be visiting ED’S office on Wednesday morning,” Patil said.
ED on Tuesday also recorded statement of another petitioner in the case. ED may soon call Param Bir Singh to record his statement, sources indicated. The officials would also summon Deshmukh and his personal staff.
On April 24, CBI had carried out raids at Deshmukh’s residences in Nagpur and Mumbai as well as at his personal assistant Sanjeev Palande’s premises and seized digital devices.
The PMLA (Prevention of
Money Laundering Act) case against Deshmukh is based on CBI’S first information report (FIR) registered against him last month. On April 21, CBI said it had found “prima facie evidence” against Deshmukh for allegedly misusing his position, and booked him for corruption and criminal conspiracy.
Unlike CBI, the federal antimoney laundering agency, can record statements of a person in a case under PMLA’S section 50 and it is admissible as evidence in court.
NCP had previously dismissed ED’S case as politically motivated. The party claims that the case registered by ED or allegations levelled by Singh is an attempt to defame the Maharashtra
Vikas Aghadi government by using power.
CBI’S case came a month after Singh accused Deshmukh of using Mumbai Police for extortion from bars, hotels and restaurants. CBI is also probing Deshmukh’s handing over of important cases to former cop Sachin Vaze and influencing transfers and postings.