Mumbai: National Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal has been sent to judicial custody till March 31 by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court today after his two-day judicial custody came to an end.
On Tuesday, Bhujbal was presented by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) before a Special PMLA court where ED counsel Hiten Venegaonkar said he did not cooperate when his statement was recorded by the agency. He was then sent to a two-day judicial custody for further interrogation.
Earlier, Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of Chhagan Bhujbal, was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case on February 1. Since then, the agency has carried out multiple investigations in context of the involvement of Bhujbals and others in the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan scam.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has already filed a chargesheet against Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj, Sameer and 14 others in the Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case.
On June 17, 2015, the ED filed two FIRs under the stringent PMLA against Chhagan Bhujbal and his son and nephew for money laundering. This was after the ACB searched 26 properties of Chhagan Bhujbal as part of its investigations into alleged irregularities in the award of a contract of over Rs 100 crore for three projects in 2006 when Bhujbal was deputy CM and PWD minister.
Bhujbal, through firms and trusts controlled by his family, is also accused of receiving huge kickbacks in exchange of award of contracts without following rules and procedures.
Investigating agencies are also looking into alleged corruption in the award of contracts during his tenure as Maharashtra's PWD minister.
Bhujbal had yesterday filed a complaint of uneasiness after which a team of doctors from the government-run J J Hospital was sent to ED’s office to examine the NCP leader.
