ED Attaches Congress Bhawan In Chhattisgarh Liquor Rip-off Case; Claims Ex-Minister Obtained Rs 2 Cr Month-to-month

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday mentioned that it has connected three properties price over Rs six crore below the provisions of the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in reference to the Chhattisgarh Liquor Rip-off case. The connected properties embrace Congress Bhawan in Sukma. The ED additionally claimed that Kawasi Lakhma, the then Excise Minister of Chhattisgarh was receiving Rs 2 crore per 30 days out of liquor rip-off.

“Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Raipur Zonal Workplace, has provisionally connected three immovable properties price Rs 6.15 Crore below the provisions of the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in reference to Chhattisgarh Liquor Rip-off case. By way of the investigation, following buildings have been discovered to be constructed out of Proceeds of Crime (POC) and have subsequently been connected: Congress Bhawan, Sukma, within the identify of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee; a residential home at Raipur within the identify of Kawasi Lakhma; and a residential home at Sukma within the identify of Harish Kawasi (son of Kawasi Lakhma),” mentioned the ED.

The ED mentioned that it initiated an investigation based mostly on an FIR registered by ACB/EOW Chhattisgarh below numerous sections of IPC, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 within the matter of the Liquor rip-off in Chhattisgarh.

“ED investigation revealed that Kawasi Lakhma, the then Excise Minister of Chhattisgarh was receiving Rs 2 Crore per 30 days out of liquor rip-off and thereby obtained POC Rs 72 Crore in 36 months. Investigation performed led to seizure of essential items of evidences which demonstrated utilization of money by Kawasi Lakhmain building of properties talked about above. Money price Rs 68 Lakhs was employed within the building of Congress Bhawan, Sukma; Rs 1.40 Crore was utilized within the building of the home of Harish Lakhma and Rs 2.24 Crore was utilized within the building of his personal home at Raipur. Kawasi Lakhma is presently below judicial custody,” mentioned the probe company.

The ED mentioned that it had earlier connected properties price Rs 205 cr within the case. “It’s pertinent to say right here that the mentioned attachment is in continuation to the earlier attachment of immovable properties having a worth of almost Rs 205 Crore,” it mentioned.

It additional mentioned that the investigation revealed corruption within the liquor rip-off which ran between 2019 to 2022 resulted in large loss to the State Exchequer and technology of greater than Rs 2,161 Crore price of POC by fee of predicate offences.