The enforcement directorate (ED) on Monday claimed that six days of custody of Sameer Bhujbal has helped it to get information about six companies of the Bhujbals.
The enforcement directorate (ED) on Monday claimed that six days of custody of Sameer Bhujbal has helped it to get information about six companies of the Bhujbals. The agency said that these companies were formed to channel and launder the funds generated “out of criminal activity”. However, the ED also told the court that it was yet to get papers related to two companies, which are crucial in the case of money laundering against Sameer, and had not been submitted till date.
Sameer was arrested Tuesday last week by the ED in connection with the money laundering case in which his uncle Chhagan Bhujbal and cousin Pankaj Bhujbal are also accused. His six-days custody ended on Monday and the special judge P.R. Bhavke remanded him to judicial custody till February 22 on the request of the ED.
While producing Sameer before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court, the ED said that his custody has helped them in getting important information on six companies belonging to the Bhujbals. “Summons were also issued to the directors of these entities, however, the documents were never submitted earlier. It is only after the arrest and grant of custody of Sameer that certain documents, which contain details of directors, share holders, bank accounts, assets, balance sheets, suspicious transactions etc, have been submitted,” the ED told the court.
However, the ED said that it is still awaiting the documents related to two firms — Devisha Infrastructure and Parvesh Construction — which are the flagship companies of the Bhujbals. According to the ED, huge funds were channeled into Parvesh Construction as share subscription premium and funds were transferred from Parvesh Construction to Devisha Infrastructure to utilise them in a real estate project in Navi Mumbai. However, the ED did not specify the exact amount transferred between these two companies.
Further elaborating on transactions of the six companies scrutinised by them, the ED told the court that there are large number of interlinking transactions amongst the said companies. “The nature of transactions is very complex. Books of accounts conveniently label the transfer of funds as loan or advances. No corresponding documents in respect of such loans are forthcoming on record. Investigations so far does not reveal any actual business activities of these companies. The economic rationale of forming multitude of such companies appears to be channeling and laundering of the proceeds generated out of criminal activity,” the ED said in its application seeking judicial custody of Sameer.
“During the period of custody of the accused, the directorate made efforts to apprehend some of his key associates, namely, Nilesh Shahu and Satyen Kesarkar, but could not. These two individuals are confidants of the Bhujbals and their testimony is crucial,” the ED said.
Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for Sameer, however, took objection and said Nilesh is not in the country due to prior commitments and Satyen had visited the ED’s office in Delhi on Sunday.
“It is wrong to say that Sameer is not cooperating. Whatever details he is aware of he has told the agency. But these transactions are over a decade-old. The agency should take the assistance of experts in such matters,” Mr Desai argued.
As the court remanded Sameer in judicial custody till February 22, advocate Mr Desai filed an application seeking home food and medicines for Sameer in jail. He added that a bail application would be filed soon.
Show of support for Sameer Bhujbal On Monday morning, a big group of Sameer Bhujbal’s followers, in a show of solidarity, shouted slogans near the enforcement directorate office and near the sessions court when Sameer was taken for remand.
The police officials said this time, however, some 60 to 70 supporters had shown up. More than three units of police were called near the office of the enforcement directorate. to manage the group. Officials said they had not expected such a huge gathering as on the first day very few had shown up.
The supporters were shouting slogans of ‘Hum tumhare saath hain’, ‘Baccha baccha kehta Sameer Bhujbal saccha hain’. Some even shouted slogans against Kirit Somaiya and the BJP government saying ‘BJP hay hay’.
