Delhi Health Minister, Satyendar Jain arrested by ED in Rs 4.8-cr money laundering case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Delhi Health Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain in connection with his alleged involvement in a 'hawala transactions' case.

Jain was arrested under the sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case connected to hawala transactions related to a Kolkata-based company, sources said.

His arrest has come a month after the financial probe agency had attached properties worth Rs 4.81 crore of the family and companies "beneficially owned and controlled" by Jain in connection with a money-laundering probe.

Last month, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to these companies and a fifth one—viz Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Manglayatan Projects Pvt Ltd, and JJ Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd. Apart from this, properties belonging to Swati Jain, Sushila Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain and Indu Jain have been attached in the case arising out of a case of disproportionate assets reports The Indian Express.

"Investigation by the ED revealed that during the period 2015-16 when Sh. Satyendar Kumar Jain was a public servant, the above-mentioned companies beneficially owned and controlled by him received accommodation entries to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the Hawala route.

These amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land or for the repayment of loan taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi," the ED had said in a statement then. 

Sh. Satyendar Jain could not further explain the source of funds received from the four companies, CBI had registered a case against him, his wife and four others.

The ED had in 2018 questioned the AAP MLA from Shakur Basti in connection with the case.

Apart from this, the CBI had said that "before becoming a public servant, he was allegedly involved in laundering Rs 11.78 crore during 2010-12 through these companies as well as other firms also based in New Delhi."

Jain is the minister for health, power, home, PWD, industries, urban development, flood, irrigation and water in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government.

Delhi minister Satyendar Jain has been arrested in an eight-year-old "fake" case by the Enforcement Directorate as he is the AAP's incharge for Himachal Pradesh elections and the BJP is afraid of losing the polls, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

"A fake case has been going on against Satyendar Jain for eight years. He has been called by the ED several times so far. The ED had stopped calling him for some time because it did not find anything against him. Now it has again started because he is the incharge of Himachal Pradesh elections," Sisodia said in a tweet in Hindi.

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