Photo Courtesy: IANS NEWS
New Delhi, July 1 (IANS): In more trouble for Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said that it has attached properties to the tune of Rs 65 crore of Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar Karkhana, in connection with the alleged fraud at Maharashtra State Co-operative (MSC) Bank.
An ED official said that the agency has attached properties including land, building and structure and plant and machinery of Jarandeshwar SSK situated at Chimangaon, Koregaon, Satara in Maharashtra worth Rs 65.75 crore, which is the purchase price of the year 2010, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a case related to Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB).
The official said that the assets are currently held in the name of Guru Commodity Services Pvt Ltd and leased to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd. He said that Sparkling Soil Pvt Ltd is holding majority shares of Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd.
The official said that during investigation it was found that Sparkling Soil Pvt Ltd is a company linked to Pawar and his wife Sunetra Ajit Pawar.
The financial probe agency official also said that during probe it was revealed that MSCB conducted auction of Jarandeshwar SSK in the year 2010 at undervalued price and without following due procedure.
"Pawar was one of the prominent and influential members of Board of Directors of MSCB at the relevant time. The SSK was purchased by Guru Commodity Services Pvt Ltd and was immediately leased to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd, which is presently operating the Jarandeshwar SSK," he said, adding that the major part of the funds utilised towards purchase of the said SSK was received from Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd, which received the same from Sparkling Soil Pvt Ltd, a company related to Pawar and his wife.
He said that probe further revealed that though Guru Commodity Services Pvt Ltd, a "dummy company" was used to acquire the SSK. But the sugar mill was actually controlled and run by Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd.
"Further, the SSK has been used as a vehicle by Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills for obtaining loan to the tune of Rs 700 crore from Pune District Central Co-operative Bank and others during the period from the year 2010 till date," he said.
In September 2019, just a month before the crucial Maharashtra Assembly polls, the ED had registered a case of money laundering against NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar, in connection with the alleged Rs 25,000 crore scam at the MSC Bank.
