Mumbai, July 12 ( UNI) Troubles mounted for NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary chargesheet against him in connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam.
The chargesheet has been submitted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), in a special court in Mumbai.
The court has yet to take cognizance of the supplementary chargesheet. The development is seen as a major blow to the Pawar family, a prominent political dynasty in Maharashtra.
Before filing the chargesheet, the ED had already attached assets worth over rupees 50 crore belonging to Rohit Pawar’s company, Baramati Agro.
In January 2023, the ED conducted raids at several locations, including premises linked to Baramati Agro. Subsequently, Rohit Pawar, who represents the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency, was summoned to the ED’s Mumbai office for questioning.
In March 2023, the ED provisionally attached assets worth Rs 50.20 crore, which included 161.30 acres of land in Kannad (Aurangabad district), a sugar factory, machinery, and buildings. The ED alleges that the properties originally belonged to Kannad Cooperative Sugar Factory Ltd. (Kannad SSK) and were acquired by Baramati Agro through a "fraudulent auction process."
The agency contends that these properties represent "proceeds of crime" and that the acquisition violates anti-money laundering laws.
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