The Enforcement Directorate has filed a chargesheet against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi and other accused persons in connection with the IRCTC hotels’ maintenance contract money-laundering case.
Among those arraigned are also Mr. Prasad’s close aide and parliamentarian P. C. Gupta, his wife Sarla Gupta, Lara Projects LLP, and 10 others.
The agency has alleged misuse of official position by Mr. Prasad and IRCTC officials in granting sub-lease of the rights of two railway hotels at Puri and Ranchi to Sujata Hotels, owned by the Kochhars. It was allegedly in lieu of 358 decimal of prime land in Patna transferred to one Delight Marketing Company in February 2005.
Delight Marketing was owned by Mr. Gupta’s family. The land was transferred at a consideration much less than the then prevailing circle rates. “The company possessing that valuable chunk of land gradually got transferred to Ms. Rabri Devi and her son Tejashwi by way of share purchase at nominal prices,” the ED alleged.
The funds used to acquire the land had a “dubious” origin and had been laundered through IST group of companies belonging to Mr. Gupta, by using a non-banking financial company named Abhishek Finance Company Limited, belonging to PNR group of companies.