ED suspects hawala transactions between DK Shivakumar and Congress headquarters, has documents proving link: Reports

Congress leader DK Shivakumar(L) and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made a big revelation in connection with money laundering case against Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar stating that they have accessed documents linking Shivakumar hawala transactions to AICC headquarters at Akbar road, reports ABP News.

According to the reports, the AICC role in the alleged money laundering case has popped up after ED found documents in the money laundering case revealing that DK Shivakumar deposited the money at the Congress headquarters. The ED has raised questions regarding the crores of rupees given to AICC from DK Shivkumar.

The ED suspects that DK Shivakumar deposited hawala money at the AICC office in Akbar Road in 2017. It is alleged that this money came through hawala, which was deposited in the Congress office by the associates of DK Shivkumar.

Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar has been currently in the custody of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi in connection with a money laundering case. The case is in relation to the income tax raids which were carried out at his premises last year and a huge sum of cash was allegedly recovered.

DK Shivakumar will be in ED custody till September 13 after a Delhi court had ordered for his arrest on September 3. Shivakumar was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a money laundering as he was not cooperating with Enforcement Directorate in the case.

As per reports, the ED has booked Congress strongman DK Shivakumar, Sachin Narayan, Anjaneya Haumanthaiah, and N Rajendra under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The money laundering by DK Shivakumar came to light after raids by the Income Tax officials on August 2, 2017, at four flats in New Delhi, which led to the seizure of unaccounted cash worth Rs.8.59 crore without evidence of its source of income. These flats were linked to Shivakumar and associates Sachin Narayan and Sunil Kumar Sharma.

Another two associates, Anjaneya Hanumanthaiah and N Rajendran, employees of Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, had allegedly stored the case in the flats on behalf of the Congress leaders. They had said that they were handling the money of Shivakumar, but later they had retracted their statements.

Hanumanthaiah had told the Income Tax department that was responsible for the handling of unaccounted money belonging to Shivakumar and was also the custodian of keys to the flats where the money was kept. The I-T Dept had also revealed that Shivakumar and his associates had used hawala channels to transport unaccounted money on a regular basis.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had also launched an attack against the Congress accusing them of being involved in corruption and having links with the hawala operators. The BJP released documents related to the ‘hawala link’ investigation and involvement of the Congress in money laundering after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a case against Karnataka Congress strongman D K Shivakumar.

The BJP had also released documents of various witnesses which alleges that hawala money transportation took place from Chandni Chowk to the Congress headquarters at Akbar Road in New Delhi. The BJP accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi of his involvement in the money laundering and said that the documents show that money trail from the state went to the Congress’ headquarters at Akbar Road.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia