The Adjudicating Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has confirmed the attachment of assets worth over ₹152.31 crore belonging to the accused in the “illegal” coal levy scam case in Chhattisgarh.
The properties are beneficially owned by Saumya Chaurasia, then Deputy Secretary to the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister; “mastermind” Suryakant Tiwari; businessman Sunil Agarwal and Indian Administrative Service official Sameer Vishnoi, said the agency on June 21.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued the provisional attachment order on December 12 last year and then filed a chargesheet on January 5. “After giving an opportunity to all the defendants and hearing arguments of both sides, the Adjudicating Authority [PMLA], New Delhi,...has confirmed the ED’s attachment of the properties,” it said.
Accordingly, the agency has now taken possession of 81 immovable properties and sent eviction notices in respect of 10 others. Earlier, it had also issued two provisional attachment orders on January 29 and May 8, involving assets valued at ₹68.88 crore belonging to Ram Gopal Agrawal, treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Congress; Devendra Yadav, MLA from Bhilai; Chandradev Prasad Rai, MLA from Bilaigarh; Mr. Tiwari, Ms. Chaurasia, Mr. Agarwal and others.
The matter is pending before the Adjudicating Authority.
Complaint by I-T dept.
The money laundering probe is based on a complaint lodged by the Income Tax Department. Based on its findings, the ED has established that “proceeds of crime” worth ₹540 crore were acquired in the alleged extortion racket, in which coal buyers and transporters were targeted.
As alleged, senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen were part of the racket which started after the then Geology and Mining Department Director in the State modified the online process of issuing e-permits for transporting coal from mines in July 2020. Manual no-objection certificate (NOC) had been made mandatory.
Also read: ED raids several locations in Chhattisgarh in coal levy scam; Congress terms it politics of vendetta
More than 30,000 NOCs were issued without following any standard process, records were not maintained, and there was no clarity about the role of officials involved. Several other alleged irregularities were detected by the probe agencies.
The ED had earlier alleged that each coal buyer or transporter was made to pay ₹25 per tonne to the syndicate to get the NOC.
