In September 2019, the ED had registered a money laundering case against NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar in connection with an alleged Rs 25,000-crore scam at MSCB. (File) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached land, machinery and buildings – worth Rs 65.75 crore – of Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar Karkhana (Jarandeshwar SSK) at Satara under Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act in a case related to alleged fraud at Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB).
The central agency has alleged that the funds used to purchase the cooperative sugar mill were routed through another sugar mill, which in turn had received the money from Sparkling Soil Private Limited, a company linked to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his wife Sunetra Pawar. Sunetra is a majority shareholder in the company.
The move comes a day after state BJP president demanding a CBI probe against Ajit Pawar in connection with dismissed Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze’s alleged involvement in the Ambani terror scare case.
In September 2019, a month before the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, the ED had registered a money laundering case against NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar in connection with an alleged Rs 25,000-crore scam at MSCB.
The ED probe has found that MSCB sold Jarandeshwar SSK in 2010 in an auction at a lower price than fair value and without following any rules. At that time Ajit Pawar was on the board of the bank.
The agency has said that Jarandeshwar SSK was purchased by Guru Commodity Services Private Limited and immediately leased to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Private Limited, where Sparkling Soil is a majority shareholder.
“The major part of the funds utilised towards purchase of SSK was received from Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Private Limited, which received the same from Sparkling Soil, a company related to Ajit Pawar and his wife,” the ED said in a statement.
It alleged that Guru Commodity Services is a “dummy company”, which was used to acquire Jarandeshwar SSK.
“Further, Jarandeshwar SSK has been used as a vehicle by Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills for obtaining a loan of Rs 700 crore (approximately) from Pune District Central Co-operative Bank & Ors during from 2010 till now,” said the ED.
When contacted, Ajit Pawar declined to comment on the issue while saying that he was not aware of any notice being served to him.
The case pertaining to the alleged fraud at MSCB originates from a criminal PIL filed on January 28, 2019 before the Bombay High Court. The PIL has alleged that then top executives – chairman, MDs, directors, CEOs and managerial staff of MSCB as well as office-bearers and directors of Sakhar Karkhanas, Soot Girnis and other processing units — were given loans in a fraudulent manner by MSCB. In the process, several illegalities were committed.
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