Sena MP Sanjay Raut gets ED summons in connection with money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate ED has made an entry amid the ongoing political crisis in the state by summoning the Shiv Senarsquos leader in the forefront Sanjay Raut a vocal critic of the BJPled Centre which he says uses the central probe agencies to topple the Opposition state governments The ED wants to question him on Tuesday in connection with a money laundering case linked to a chawl redevelopment projectThe ED summons to Raut arrived at a time when the MVA governmentrsquos fate was hanging by a thread The Shiv Sena is facing one of the biggest rebellions in its 56year history with strongman Eknath Shinde along with 39 MLAs challenging Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and claiming stake in the partylsquoI knew itrsquoSpeaking to the press outside the Samna office Raut said ldquoI knew this was going to happen looking at the current political scenario in the state But let me tell them BJP that I am not scared of these tacticsShiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut outside Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar on Monday PicSatej ShindeldquoIt the ED action was decided in a meeting between rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadanvis that happened in Vadodara Gujarat to lsquoshut Sanjay Rautrsquos mouthrsquo I am prepared for everything when it comes to Balasaheb Thackerayrsquos Shiv Sena and Maharashtra I will not bow down to them I will instead go to jailrdquoRaut added that he wonrsquot appear before the agency on Tuesday as he has ldquoto public rallies in Alibaug and other places But I am not running away I will cooperate with the agencyrdquoEarlier this year the agency provisionally attached assets worth R115 crore belonging to Raut his wife and family friends ldquoHe has been called based on some evidence that surfaced during the ongoing probe in the money laundering case He needs to be confronted with that evidence to get further clarityrdquo said an ED officerThe caseThe ED filed the case earlier this year based on an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing EOW in March 2018 against Rakesh Wadhawan Sarang Kumar Wadhawan and Pravin Rauta trusted aide of Sanjay RautPravin is also the former director of Guru Ashish Construction which is also named in the FIR on a complaint of MHADA The ED arrested Pravin in February and also filed a charge sheet against himThe developer Guru Ashish Construction had undertaken the rehabilitation project of 672 tenants of Patra Chawl at Goregaon According to the ED the developer was supposed to hand over a certain constructed portion to Maharashtra Housing Development Authority MHADA but it sold the plots to nine builders for over Rs 900 croreThe ED also found that around R100 crore was transferred from HDIL to Pravinrsquos personal bank accounts The agency had earlier said that R83 lakh that Sanjayrsquos wife Varsha received from Pravinrsquos wife Madhuri in 2010 was proceeds of crime The amount was used to purchase a flat in Dadar but she returned R50 lakh to Madhuri after ED started the probe as per officersAlso Read Maharashtra political crisis Aaditya Thackeray likely to hold a big rally in Goregaon on June 29In April the ED provisionally attached assets worth R1115 crore including a flat in Dadar and eight land parcels in AlibaugIn the charge sheet filed against Pravin the ED also claimed that Varsha and Madhuri are partners in a company named Avani Infrastructure and they constructed a small building in Santacruz named Tulip Residency The agency also claimed both their shares in profit was Rs 14 lakh each even though Varsharsquos capital investment was Rs 5625 whereas Madhurirsquos was Rs 135 lakh2018Year the case in the alleged scam was first filedTweet talkSanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader rautsanjay61There are big political developments in Maharashtra We Balasahebrsquos Shivsainiks are fighting a big battle This is a conspiracy to stop me Even if you behead me I wonrsquot take the Guwahati route Arrest me Jai Hind