India News | Money Laundering Case Against Ex-minister Mushrif Not Due to Political Vendetta: ED Tells Court
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Former Maharashtra minister Hasan Mushrif is trying to blame others by claiming that the money laundering case against him was due to a political vendetta, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Tuesday opposing the NCP leader's anticipatory bail plea.
Mumbai, Mar 28 (PTI) Former Maharashtra minister Hasan Mushrif is trying to blame others by claiming that the money laundering case against him was due to a political vendetta, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Tuesday opposing the NCP leader's anticipatory bail plea.
A special anti-money laundering court here reserved its order on Mushrif's pre-arrest bail plea to April 5 after hearing both sides. It directed the police not to arrest the ex-minister until then provided he co-operates with the investigation.
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The Bombay High Court had granted Mushrif interim protection from arrest which ended on Tuesday.
The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader has sought anticipatory bail from the special court, claiming that he is apprehending his possible arrest under the “garb of investigation and recording statement” under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Mushrif, an MLA from the Kagal constituency in Kolhapur district, served as rural development minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
The ED had claimed suspicious flow of several crores of rupees from two companies “without having substantial business” to Sar Senapati Santaji Ghorpade Sugar Factory Limited, where Mushrif's sons Navid, Aabid and Sajid are directors or stakeholders.
Mushrif, in his pre-arrest bail plea filed through advocates Prashant Patil, Swapnil Ambre and Atit Soni, has claimed that the entire prosecution case is the result of a political campaign launched by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya.
The central agency contended that the assertions pleaded by the “applicant” (Mushrif) are based on unfounded allegations of political vendetta and an attempt to nip the inquiry in the bud.
“The applicant has wrongly asserted that the entire case of prosecution is the result of the political vendetta of Somaiya. The applicant is trying to shift the culpability onto others. But shifting the culpability does not absolve the crime,” the probe agency claimed.
ED said that in a criminal trial, it does not matter on whose behest the complaint has been made but what matters is the discovery of facts. Thus, the assertions of the applicant hold no water, it said.
On Mushrif's claim that there was no scheduled offence for the agency to register a case against him under PMLA, the ED said that an FIR for an offence under Indian Penal Code section 420 (cheating) has been registered against him at a police station in Kolhapur district, which is a “predicate” offence.
This much information is sufficient to proceed with the investigation under the provision of PMLA, it said.
The ED said that Mushrif, a sitting MLA, is a “politically active person” having served as a cabinet minister as well as being a five-term MLA from Kagal. Thus, influencing witnesses and hampering the investigation can't be denied, it said.
ED said it issued three summonses Mushrif of which the first two were issued for January 25 and 31 but he failed to appear before the probe agency on these two dates.
Only after the Bombay Court directed the “applicant” to attend the ED office as per summons, the applicant appeared before the probe agency, the ED said, while opposing his plea.
On March 14, the Bombay High Court had directed the ED not to take any coercive action for two weeks against Mushrif.
The HC asked him to approach a sessions court with an anticipatory bail application during this period. Mushrif has filed a petition before the HC, seeking to quash the ED case against him.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)