On Friday, a Special Court in Delhi stated that there is prima facie substantial evidence against Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in the charge sheet submitted by the Enforcement Directorate to indicate that he and his colleagues used hawala cash to acquire agricultural property in and around the national capital.
According to the reports, the charge sheet was submitted before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on July 27, and the court has taken cognizance of it. In the charge sheet, the ED has named Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and colleagues Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain, and Ankush Jain, as well as enterprises Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Manglayatan Developers Pvt Ltd, and J J Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd.
On May 30, the ED detained Jain, a minister without a responsibility in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi cabinet, in connection with the money laundering investigation. Before being arrested by the ED, Jain controlled several portfolios, including health, power, and a few others.
The ED in the investigation discovered that during 2015-16, Satyendar Jain was a public servant, and the above-mentioned four companies were beneficially owned and controlled by him. These companies had received funds via hawala to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from other shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators via the hawala route.
The agency in the charge sheet mentioned that the Minister had used these amounts for the direct purchase of agricultural land or the repayment of loans taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi. When asked, the Minister said that he had lost his memory due to COVID. The accused were therefore found to be guilty under Section 3 of PMLA 2002.
To note, Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister, and AAP national leader had previously spoken out in favor of his minister, saying he was a “hardcore, honest, and patriot” who was being framed in a false case. Kejriwal had also hoped that Jain would come clean following the ED inquiry.