ED attaches 45-acre land allegedly linked to former Union minister A Raja
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it has attached a “benami” asset worth Rs 55 crore of DMK MP A Raja — 45 acres of land in Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu — under the anti-money laundering law.
The federal agency said in a statement that the land was purchased by a company allegedly linked to Raja, in lieu of granting environmental clearance to a Gurugram-based real estate company by the leader during his stint as the Union minister for environment and forests between 2004 and 2007.
Also read: Disproportionate assets case: CBI files charge sheet against A Raja
‘Benami’ property
The land is held in the name of a “benami” company of Raja, the ED said.
“The real estate company (listed on the BSE) has given kickbacks to A Raja as quid pro quo for awarding the environmental clearance, around the same period in 2007, in the garb of land commission income in the hands of one benami company of A Raja,” the ED said.
“It is found that A Raja incorporated the company in the same year (2007) in the name of his family members and his close family friend, with the sole objective of using it as a vehicle to park the proceeds of crime,” the ED alleged.
The said company, according to the ED, was never engaged in any business activity since inception and the entire money received in the company was “quid pro quo” from the real estate deal and was used for acquiring land in Coimbatore, PTI reported.
“Thus, the 45 acres of land in Coimbatore worth Rs 55 crore have been purchased directly using the proceeds of crime, (illegal payment made as quid pro quo for obtaining environmental clearances) have been provisionally (under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act) attached,” it said.
CBI complaint
The money laundering case stems from an earlier CBI complaint against Raja, in which the latter agency filed a chargesheet in August before a special court in Chennai. The CBI had charged Raja for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 5.53 crore during his tenure as the Union environment minister in the UPA government.
The CBI had alleged that a close associate of Raja, C Krishnamurthy, had set up a company Kovai Shelters Promoters in January, 2007 in which a payment of Rs 4.56 crore was received in February that year from a Gurugram-based real estate company as commission for purchase of land in Kanchipuram.
Also read: A Raja warns Centre not to force DMK to revive demand for ‘separate TN’
The CBI has alleged that the company had not “undertaken any other real estate activity” other than the purported land deal for the real estate firm. The company had later bought agricultural land in Coimbatore.
The CBI registered the case in 2015 against Raja and 16 others, including his nephew Parmesh, wife Parameswari, his associate Krishnamurthy who is also director of Kovai Shelters Pvt Limited, wife of Sadiq Basha, an alleged associate of Raja who had committed suicide, and Reha Banu, a director in Greenhouse Promoters which was earlier owned by Basha among others.
The 59-year-old Raja is currently a DMK MP from the Nilgiris Lok Sabha seat.
(With Agency inputs)
