Somaiya: CM’s kin laundered money

CORRUPTION CHARGES

MUMBAI: In a fresh round of financial fraud allegations, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Friday claimed that chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-inlaw Shridhar Patankar laundered ₹29.62 crore through a real estate firm in Mumbai, while Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut alleged misuse of MiraBhayander civic body funds by an NGO run by Somaiya family.

Somaiya said Patankar’s firm Shreeji Homes has an office in Bandra and it constructed a building in the Shivaji Park area. “Shreeji Homes is a partnership firm between Shridhar Patanakar and two private companies. Two transactions worth ₹5.86 crore and ₹23.75 crore were made. Uddhav Thackeray should answer his connection with the firm,” Somaiya said.

The BJP leader further said that one Nandkishor Chaturvedi was involved in laundering money for firms where members of the Thackeray family were on board. “Nandkishor Chaturvedi is a family friend and business partner of the Thackerays. Several financial transactions between Aaditya Thackeray, Tejas Thackeray and Shridhar Patankar have come out. The investigating agency is searching for Chaturvedi. We demand that he should be declared absconding,” Somaiya said.

Reacting to the allegations, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said he does not know who Chaturvedi is. “The allegations he (Somaiya) is making are only to save his skin. Somaiya must speak about the scam he was involved in; he collected money from people for INS Vikrant. Though he has been given relief by the courts, he would still have to go to jail,” he added. Thackeray family did not respond to the allegations till late Friday. Meanwhile, Raut said that he would expose a “toilet scam” involving the Somaiya

family. “Funds of Mira-Bhayander municipal corporation were misused by Kirit Somaiya and his family. I have all the evidence and a case is being filed against that,” he said.