Team News Riveting
Raipur, April 24
The special court dealing with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in Raipur on Wednesday sent retired Indian Administration Service (IAS) officer Anil Tuteja to five days Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with Chhattisgarh’s infamous liquor scam.
The ED Sunday arrested Tuteja in connection with money-laundering in the Rs 2,000 crore alleged liquor scam that took place in the regime of the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh. The 2003-batch IAS officer will be the first from the elite All India Service to be arrested in connection with the liquor scam. Though in the fresh case registered by the ED, 70 people including former excise minister Kawasi Lakma and another IAS officer, and Chhattisgarh former Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand have also been named.
The ED has estimated the alleged “proceeds of crime” in the case at Rs 2,161 crore. The central agency has filed a fresh money-laundering case in the alleged liquor scam case after the Supreme Court recently quashed its earlier FIR that was based on an Income Tax Department complaint. The apex court ruled there was no scheduled offence and hence the money laundering case does not stand.
The observation was made based on the probe conducted by the excise department allegedly at the behest of Tuteja.
The ED on Sunday sought the custody of Tuteja but the Judge at the PMLA court was on leave and hence the IAS officer was sent to judicial custody. He was produced in the PLMA court on Wednesday where the ED sought 14 days custodial remand. The court however granted five days ED custody and asked the central agency to produce Tuteja on April 29 by 4 pm.
