ED Attaches Assets Worth 8 Cr of HP CM in Money Laundering Case

Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh has dubbed the ED order as “Holi gift”

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued orders for attachment of assets of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. The assets have an estimated worth of about Rs 8 crore including a flat in a posh locality here in connection with its money laundering probe case against him and others.

Here are the important points from the report:

• ED has issued provisional attachment order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) seizing LIC policies, bank fixed deposits and two stories of a building in Delhi’s Greater Kailash-I

• Virabhadra Singh has called the ED order a “Holi gift” and accused BJP of plotting a “dirty political conspiracy.”

It is one more dirty political conspiracy by the BJP. Like the ED raid on the day of my daughter’s marriage, this is a gift on the occasion of Holi

Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh

• Virbhadra said he has full faith in the judiciary of the country and will continue to fight such politically motivated battles.

• The Delhi High Court has refused to grant any interim stay on money laundering proceedings initiated by the Directorate against the chief minister

• ED has filed a case under criminal provisions of money laundering laws after taking cognisance of a complaint filed by the CBI in this regard in September 2015.

• The ED is investigating the allegation that Singh and his family members allegedly amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore between 2009 and 2011 while serving as the Union Minister of Steel.

• The CBI FIR had named Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, LIC agent Anand Chauhan and Chauhan’s brother C L Chauhan and they were charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The agricultural income as claimed by him in his revised ITRs was not found to be tenable. The then Union minister had allegedly accumulated other assets disproportionate to known sources of income.

CBI

• The Congress party has termed the action as “highly vindictive”.
  

• BJP demanded the resignation of Singh on moral grounds and threatened that they would not allow the ongoing budget session of the state assembly to run in case Singh did not quit.
  

• All the Cabinet Ministers of Himachal Pradesh expressed their solidarity with the chief minister and strongly condemned the “extreme and coercive” action of the Enforcement Directorate

• The ministers said that the case it appears to be a part of design of the NDA government to “target” Congress governments in the country and “grab” power by hook or crook.

(With PTI inputs)