By News18,Yimkumla Longkumer
Copyright news18
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it had attached immovable properties worth Rs 7.44 crore belonging to companies allegedly “beneficially owned and controlled” by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
Jain held key portfolios such as Health, Industries, Power, Public Works Department, Home, and Urban Development in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government.
In a statement, the central agency said the provisional attachment was made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on September 15. The attached assets are part of a probe into alleged possession of benami properties and disproportionate assets by Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and others.
The case traces back to a CBI FIR and subsequent chargesheet, which form the basis of the ED’s money laundering investigation.
According to the ED, Jain allegedly acquired disproportionate assets during his tenure as a minister in the Delhi government between 14 February 2015 and 31 May 2017.
In 2022, the agency had previously attached assets worth Rs 4.81 crore in the same case.
The latest development comes shortly after the Delhi High Court observed that Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain — known close associates of Jain — were acting as his “benami holders.”
The court noted that both individuals had deposited Rs 7.44 crore in cash at the Bank of Baroda’s Bhogal branch as advance tax under the Income Disclosure Scheme (IDS), 2016.
The ED claims this cash was proceeds of crime and was routed through shell companies to project it as untainted money. These companies were allegedly under the control of Jain and used for laundering illicit funds.
The senior AAP leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 30 May 2022 on charges of laundering money through four companies allegedly linked to him. However, after spending 18 months in jail, he was granted bail by a court in October last year.
(With inputs from PTI)
