He will be produced before a court on Tuesday. “Please note that they have been arrested under section 19 (1) of the PMLA Act – a money laundering charge and not on Maharashtra Sadan complaint filed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya”, she said.
Advertisement
The ED said that part f his money was parked overseas and also routed into India through various shell companies located across the country. The agency had questioned the NCP leader earlier today.
Police deployed tight security and clamped prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more people in the vicinity of the ED office.
At around 11 am on Monday when Chhagan Bhujbal arrived at the ED’s headquarters, NCP party workers started sloganeering outside the office.
As the party workers and a huge contingent of media persons waited through the whole day outside the ED office, news trickled late in the night about the arrest.
The ED had also questioned Bhujbal’s son Pankaj in the same case last month.
According to an ED official, the arrest of the former PWD minister was effected under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after he allegedly refused to cooperate during questioning.
Enforcement Directorate claims the NCP leader received kickbacks for contracts to build the Maharashtra Sadan guest house in Delhi. The ED has also explained that there were lot of unexplained transactions can bee seen while the development of Maharashtra Sadan.
Bhujbal and his party, the NCP, have termed the ED’s actions a “political vendetta”.
Over Chaggan Bhujbal’s arrest, NCP’s Nawab Malik said, “It is BJP’s vendetta politics, will fight it politically and in court of law”. A seperate FIR has been registered by the ED with connection to the Kalina land grabbing scam in Mumbai.
Advertisement
Bhujbal, a lad from Nasik, who came up from humble beginnings to rise to second number position in Shiv Sena, has been credited with bringing large OBC masses into the folds of the Sena before differences with Balasaheb saw him quitting from the Sena and joining Sharad Pawar.
