PMLA case: ED attaches Chautala’s ₹3.68-crore assets
NEW DELHI : The Enforcement Directorate Monday said it has attached assets worth₹3.68 crore in Delhi, Panchkula and Sirsa of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala in connection with a money laundering case against him and others.
It said a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been issued to attach these immovable properties. The ED’S money laundering case is based on a Central Bureau of Investigation FIR against Chautala, his sons Ajay Chautala and Abhay Chautala and others for possessing alleged disproportionate assets and they have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the latter agency.
The ED said the CBI probe found that Chautala allegedly “acquired” assets of over Rs 6.09 crore between May, 1993 to May, 2006, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income. The agency said his elder son Ajay Chautala also faces the same charges of possessing disproportionate assets worth over Rs 27.74 crore and second son Abhay Chautala allegedly having similar assets to the tune of more than Rs 119 crore.
“PMLA probe revealed that Chautala had acquired immovable properties at New Delhi, Panchkula and also constructed a residential house at Sirsa in Haryana out of the money received from undisclosed sources,”
THE ED’S MONEY LAUNDERING CASE IS BASED ON A CBI FIR AGAINST CHAUTALA, HIS SONS AJAY AND ABHAY
the ED said in a statement. “Investigation also revealed that Chautala was directly involved in acquisition and projecting various tainted properties as his untainted properties,” it said.
“He (Chautala) had also disclosed properties so acquired in the affidavit filed before the returning officer in the Haryana assembly polls in 2005 and 2009, thereby, projecting publicly the tainted properties as untainted,” the statement said. The ED, in 2013, had similarly attached Chautala’s assets worth Rs 46.96 lakh and it subsequently filed a charge sheet against him in July last year. The total attachment in this case stands at Rs 4.15 crore and further investigation is underway, the statement said.
CHANDIGARH: The Tihar jail administration on Monday granted 21-day furlough to Ajay Chautala, the elder son of Indian National Lok Dal supremo Om Prakash Chautala. Both are serving a 10-year jail term in a teachers’ recruitment case.
Ajay had floated the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in December last year after his father and party chief Om Prakash Chautala, expelled him and both his (Ajay’s) sons Dushyant and Digvijay from the INLD.
On April 12, the JJP forged an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.
Interacting with mediapersons in New Delhi after getting the furlough, on the various issues pertaining to JJP candidates, Ajay said it was the party core committee’s call to decide on the candidates. This committee would be holding a meeting on Tuesday, he added.
To another question, Ajay said the JJP’S alliance with AAP would benefit the former because of the substantial work AAP had done in Delhi.
Meanwhile, JJP leaders said that Ajay would spend time with his family and party supporters for the next 21 days.
They held that since the furlough was unconditional, he would also be able to campaign for the party.
On Saturday last week, the Delhi government had opposed in the high court the parole plea of INLD chief OP Chautala who had sought parole for three months to spend time with his critically ill wife.
The government held that he had earlier abused the liberty granted to him and would do so again.
The next date of hearing on the plea is April 25.