 "Maharashtra Sadan: ED names Chhagan Bhujbal, 54 others in chargesheet")
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed its first chargesheet against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, and 54 others, in connection with the Rs 870-crore Maharashtra Sadan scam in the Mumbai Sessions Court on Wednesday.
Apart from Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer, DB Realty, a real estate firm and its promoter Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa, brother of Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa, and Kakde Infrastructure, among others, have been named in the 11,500-page chargesheet.
According to the investigating agency, the case is entirely based on documentary evidence such as fund transfer and bank transactions. A supplementary chargesheet against Chhagan Bhujbal would be filed later.
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The NCP leader was arrested this month after being questioned by the enforcement sleuths in an alleged money laundering case.
The NCP leader was arrested this month after being questioned by the enforcement sleuths in an alleged money laundering case.
ED alleged that Bhujbal awarded the development rights to Chamankar Developers in exchange of kickbacks. Bhujbals received cash in lieu of projects awarded to contractors in 2006 and channeled illegal cash into various companies and integrated it into business activities of companies they controlled.
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The contract awarded to Chamankar Developers included the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, a new Regional Transport Office (RTO) building in Andheri, and a state guest house at High Mount in Malabar Hill, Mumbai.
On June 17, 2015, ED filed two FIRs (first information reports) under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) against Bhujbal, Pankaj and Sameer for alleged money laundering. Following this, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed a case of alleged irregularities in the award of a contract of over Rs 100 crore for three projects in 2006 when Bhujbal was Deputy Chief Minister and PWD minister.