In a major crackdown against money laundering, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted raids on the properties of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and incumbent Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
As per reports, the PMLA case is linked to narcotics trafficking and fake passports. The ED officials are looking at bank transactions and property papers of khaira too.
As per reports, the searches were conducted at five locations in Punjab, two locations in Delhi and one location in Chandigarh. ED officials arrived at Sukhpal Singh Khaira’s house in Sector-5 Chandigarh on Tuesday morning and searched his property. His ancestral house in Kapurthala was also raided. His son, Mahitab Singh who lives in Chandigarh, was at his ancestral village.
On spotting the vehicles of ED officials, Mahitab took out his car and left. Meanwhile, Khaira has pleaded innocence and said that he has no role in the money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate had also interrogated his cousin brother cum treasurer, Kulbir Singh.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1369140605708763139?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwKhaira was the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly during his stint with the AAP. In 2019, he started his own Punjab Ekta party and won 2 seats in the State Assembly. He has also been a vocal critic of the new farm laws that have been enacted by the Union Government to help farmers get a fair price for their produce. Khaira’s lawyer has now alleged that he is being targeted for being a ‘supporter of farmers’.