Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], January 2 (ANI): Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday, slammed the ED raids at Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma’s residence, alleging that the BJP is driven by “political jealousy”.
Baghel pointed out that despite filing an FIR in the ACB two years ago, no chargesheet has been presented, implying that the BJP is conspiring to defame political parties and politicians.
“They (BJP) are doing this out of political jealousy… They did an FIR in ACB, and it is been two years and yet they have not been able to present a chargesheet… They are conspiring to defame political parties and politicians.,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, the Enforcement Directorate claimed that Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma used to “receive” a substantial amount in cash every month out of proceeds of crime generated from the alleged liquor scam estimated to be around Rs 2,161 crore.
As per the agency, Kawasi Lakhma was the main recipient of proceeds of crime in cash during his regime as excise minister in the previous Congress government of the state.
ED investigation into the liquor scam, which ran between 2019 to 2022, revealed that proceeds of crime were generated as illegal commissions which were generated in multiple ways.
The agency said that bribe was collected from the distillers per ‘case’ of liquor procured from them by the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), a state body for the purchase and sale of liquor.
Sale of unaccounted “kacha off-the-books” country liquor was another way to generate illegal money, claimed the agency, adding “In this case, not even a single rupee reached the State Exchequer, and all the sale proceeds were pocketed by the syndicate. The illegal liquor was sold from state-run shops only”.
“Bribes are taken from distillers to allow them to make a cartel and have fixed market share, and holders who were introduced to earn in foreign liquor segment also,” said the ED.
ED made the revelations two days after its Raipur unit conducted search operations at seven premises situated in Raipur, Dhamtari and Sukma districts of Chhattisgarh under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in the liquor scam case. In the search operation conducted on December 28, ED raids the residential premises of Kawasi Lakhma, a six-time Congress MLA. The searches were also conducted at the residential premises of his son Harish Lakhma and their close associates.
As a result of the search operation, ED said, it has been able to gather evidence about the utilisation of proceeds of crime in cash by Kawasi Lakhma during the relevant period of the scam. (ANI)
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