The enforcement directorate and income tax department Tuesday conducted joint searches at the office of an infrastructure firm here and the residence of its head in connection with allegations that it
The enforcement directorate and income tax department Tuesday conducted joint searches at the office of an infrastructure firm here and the residence of its head in connection with allegations that it financed certain construction by family of ex-deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, arrested last month in a money laundering case.
Three teams of ED and IT department started searches in morning at the office of Ashoka Buildcon in Vadala locality, at a toll naka in Pimpalgaon Basawant on the outskirts of the city and at the house of the owner of the firm, sources said. Senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had last month made certain claims wherein Ashoka Buildcon had been mentioned in respect of certain allegations made against Bhujbal and his family.
Mr Somaiya, the MP from North East Mumbai, had claimed to have submitted some documents to Nashik police commissioner in this regard on March 25. Ashoka Buildcon had said that it neither financed any construction by the family of Bhujbal nor sponsored the then MP Sameer Bhujbal’s trip to FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The NCP leader is currently in judicial custody in Mumbai. “Ashoka Buildcon Ltd clarifies that it has not contributed or financed any of the constructions of Bhujbal family including their Bungalow at Nasik,” the company had said in a filing to the BSE.
Mr Bhujbal is in judicial custody till April 13. The ED has already attached properties of Bhujbals worth Rs 131.86 crore. The ED has filed an 11,500-page chargesheet which names Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Samir, corporates like D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure. The agency has filed two FIRs against Mr Bhujbal, his family members and others under the anti-money laundering laws, based on FIRs filed by the state anti-corruption bureau, to probe alleged irregularities in the construction of the state guesthouse Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and the Kalina land grabbing case in Mumbai.
The high court, in December 2014, had constituted a special investigation team comprising the ED and state ACB officials to conduct the inquiry against Bhujbal and others.
