Khichdi case: ED files chargesheet against Chavan
MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted its charge sheet against Suraj Chavan, a Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary for his alleged role in the money-laundering case related to an alleged ₹6.37 crore scam pertaining to distribution of khichdi among migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ED probe revealed that Chavan had allegedly received ₹1.35 crore from an accused contractor firm, M/s Force One Multi Services, out of the latter’s illegal generation of profits/ proceeds of crime worth ₹3.64 crore, agency sources said. This was done by allegedly showing Chavan as an employee of the firm from 2019 to 2020 and the said funds were transferred to him as salary and some in the form of personal loans from June 2020 to December 2020, agency sources said. Out of the alleged funds, ₹1.25 crore was allegedly diverted into the personal bank account of Chavan and a further ₹10 lakh into the bank account of his partnership firm, Fire Fighters Enterprises.
The ED probe found that to justify the payments, two allegedly forged and back-dated appointment letters, dated April 1 2019 and April 1 2020, were prepared in the name of Chavan in order to project him as an employee of M/s Force One Multi Services. In his statement to the ED on January 17, he had admitted allegedly that funds worth ₹1.35 crore came into his account and his partnership firm. Chavan however denied any wrongdoing in the case on his part and claimed that the money he received from the accused firm was by way of salary and loans in the capacity of him being its employee.
The ED also accused Chavan of managing the award of one of the civic khichdi work orders to Force One due to his proximity with senior political leaders. The ED probe found that all the preparation, packing and transportation–related works were handled by the firm Force One Multi Services and no role allegedly was played by Chavan in supplying packets of khichdi to BMC, agency sources said. The probe also revealed that the contractor, Force One Multi Services, allegedly did not have its own kitchen and had no licence from the Department of Health or the Food and Drug Administration.
Chavan’s lawyers had earlier told a city special court, where he had been produced for remand after his arrest in January, that no offence was made out against him, he was not guilty and therefore his arrest was an abuse of the process of law.
The agency had arrested Chavan on January 17 and he is in judicial custody currently.