Held by ED in Rs 4.8-cr Money Laundering Case, Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain to be in Court Today

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested Delhi government minister Satyendar Jain in a case connected to hawala transactions related to Kolkata-based companies owned and controlled by him. Jain is the minister of Health, Home, Power and PWD, among other departments, in the AAP-led Delhi government.

ED sources said Jain, 57, was evasive during questioning today, following which he was arrested from the agency’s office in Delhi. He will be produced before a court on Tuesday morning.

The ED has recently provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Manglayatan Projects Pvt Ltd, JJ Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd and Swati Jain, Sushila Jain, and Indu Jain. All three women are relatives of the Delhi Health Minister.

Sources told CNN-News18 that the ED made the arrest after it found in its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) case that the above-mentioned companies received accommodation entries to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the Hawala route. The sources further said that entries were taken at a time when Jain occupied the public office in 2015-16.

These amounts were utilised for the direct purchase of land, or for the repayment of loans taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi.

The agency had said last month that assets worth Rs 4.81 crore of Jain’s family and companies “beneficially owned and controlled” by him were provisionally attached as part of a money-laundering probe against him.

Earlier, the CBI had also registered a case of disproportionate assets against Jain. In 2018, the ED questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in connection with the case.

AAP leaders slam Jain’s arrest

Reacting to Jain’s arrest, AAP legislator Somnath Bharti lashed out at the BJP for “misusing” the agency. “ED is no god in the country….we have seen how they have been misused by the BJP. It’s just an extension of the BJP,” Bharti told CNN-News18. He also added, “This is in response to our popularity increasing day by day… I am sure he will come out of this.”

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia took to Twitter to condemn Jain’s arrest and hit out at the BJP, saying the party is targeting Jain since he is the election in-charge of Himachal Pradesh, where elections are due this year.

“A fake case has been going on against Satyendar Jain for eight years. He has been called by the ED several times so far. The ED had stopped calling him for some time because it did not find anything against him. Now it has again started because he is the incharge of Himachal Pradesh elections,” Sisodia said in a tweet in Hindi. “The BJP is afraid of losing the elections and hence he was arrested to prevent him from going to Himachal. He will be released soon as he has been arrested in a fake case,” he added.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj said the case against Jain isn’t new and that the ED was sitting on it for want of evidence. Speaking to CNN-News18, Bhardwaj said, “This is not a new case registered against him, it’s an 8-year-old case…Jain was summoned by the ED several times… ED was sitting quietly on this as they have no evidence.” “We are sure that there is no wrongdoing by Mr Jain…we all stand with him,” Bhardwaj added.

(With agency inputs)

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