NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Satyendar Jain, the minister for health in Delhi, in an alleged money laundering case. In 2015 and 2016, the investigating agency said that a minister in the cabinet of Arvind Kejriwal was involved in hawala transactions with a Kolkata-based company. The hawala system entails two parties conducting financial transactions with local agents on their behalf, without the funds passing via traditional banking channels.
In August 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a case against Mr. Jain and his family for the alleged laundering of up to 1.62 crores. Mr. Jain and his family, according to the CBI, established four shell companies (businesses with no genuine activity) to launder 11.78 crores in 2011-12 and 4.63 crores in 2015-16. The Enforcement Directorate began its investigation into the charges of money laundering based on the CBI’s first information report, or FIR.
The Delhi CM & the central government followed by other opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Telangana’s K Chandrashekar Rao have frequently accused the centre to harass them, and are likely to engage in a fresh political war following Health Minister’s arrest.
This evening, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted that Mr. Jain’s detention was made with the approaching election in Himachal Pradesh in mind.
“Satyendar Jain has been the target of a false case for eight years. ED (Enforcement Directorate) has phoned numerous times up to this point. In the intervening years, ED ceased calling since they received nothing. Now they have resumed because Satyendar Jain is in charge of elections in Himachal “Mr. Sisodia sent out a tweet.
“The BJP is losing ground in Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, Satyendar Jain was arrested today so he cannot travel to Himachal. As the evidence is wholly fabricated, he will be freed in a few days “The Deputy Prime Minister explained.
The hill state governed by the BJP will hold elections later this year. Since its first victory in a full-fledged state, Punjab, earlier this year, the AAP is sure that it will begin a winning run.
The arrest comes nearly two months after the Enforcement Directorate seized properties worth 4.81 crores belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party leader and his family.
In January of this year, Mr. Kejriwal stated during an AAP rally that his sources informed him that his colleague Satyendar Jain will likely be detained by the Enforcement Directorate.
