ED tranfers case against two DMK ministers from Madurai to Chennai

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made it easy for itself to follow cases filed by it against two DMK ministers Anitha R Radhakrishnan (Fisheries) and Senthil Balaji (Electricity and Liquor), by transferring the cases from its Madurai unit to Chennai, as both the ministers are present in the Tamil Nadu capital for most of the time.

The ED said that the transfer was made for administrative reasons. The ED officials based in Delhi have confirmed the transfer of the cases to Chennai.

Radhakrishnan has already appeared before ED officials for inquiry in mid-September in connection with the money laundering case filed in 2006. Radhakrishnan was a former minister in the AIADMK government when the case against him was filed by the DMK. Radhakrishnan joined the DMK in 2009, three years after the case was filed.

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The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption (DVAC) registered a disproportionate asset case against Radhakrishnan, and the ED registered the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act against Radhakrishnan and his family members. The DVAC case reached the charge sheet stage in 2019, and is pending before a court in Tuticorin.

The ED case was registered against Senthil Balaji, after a Central Crime Branch police booked him in a job racket case, perpetrated by persons claiming proximity with him, during his stint as the Transport Minister in the Jayalalithaa government between 2011 and 2016.

Balaji also appeared before the ED officials for inquiry in mid-August, sources said. Income Tax conducted searches at his residence in Karur on April 2 this year.

Though both the cases against the present DMK ministers were filed when they were ministers in AIADMK government, it would be a headache for DMK if the courts convict or sentence the ministers based on the cases.