Nagpur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a chargesheet on Wednesday against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a money-laundering case.
The ED is probing allegations against Deshmukh that he had allegedly asked former Assistant Inspector Sachin Vaze to extort Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants across Mumbai. ED officials found that Rs 4.7 crore were handed over by dismissed Assistant Inspector Vaze after extorting bars and restaurants in Mumbai.
The chargesheet is said to be over 6,000 pages and Deshmukh has been named as prime accused. His sons Hrishikesh and Salil have also been named as accused in the money-laundering case. Deshmukh was arrested by ED on November 2 and he remains in judicial custody at the Arthur Road Prison in Mumbai. This is the second chargesheet in the case.
The first chargesheet was filed in August against Deshmukh’s Personal Secretary Sanjeev Palande and Personal Assistant Kundan Shinde. Deshmukh’s family-run educational trust named Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha was also named in the first chargesheet.
The agency is also probing matters related to transfers and postings for IPS and state police service officers. Vaze’s statement was recorded twice by ED officials in the case. The allegation was levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh who had written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20. Following this, petitions were filed in the Bombay High Court to seek CBI investigation against Deshmukh. The Bombay HC then ordered a CBI inquiry that culminated in an FIR being filed against Deshmukh.
Statements of Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab and former Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte were also recorded by the agency.
