ED raids multiple locations across Delhi in money laundering case against Satyendar Jain

Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at multiple places in Delhi today in connection with its money-laundering investigation involving Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

Various federal agency teams have been conducting searches on the residential and office locations of the people involved in the investigation since the morning. The ED conducted the searches in accordance with the 2002 Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED’s action comes only days after the agency recovered 2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kilos from Jain’s assistants during a day-long operation on June 6.

ED has also alleged to have collected several damning papers and digital evidence in prior raids in the case.

The previous raids’ seizures came from an “unexplained source” and were “discovered to be hidden” at the searched properties. The searches were subsequently conducted at the homes of Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, his collaborators, and other individuals who had either directly or indirectly aided him or engaged in the money laundering procedures.

ED has also mentioned the names involved in assisting Delhi Minister: Ankush Jain, Vaibhav Jain, Naveen Jain, and Siddharth Jain (Directors of Ram Prakash Jewellers Private Limited), GS Matharoo (Chairman of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust, which runs Prudence Group of Schools), and Yogesh Kumar Jain (Director of Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), father-in-law of Ankush Jain Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust.

Jain was detained on May 30 under the provisions of the PMLA. On May 31, a trial judge ordered Jain to be detained by the ED till June 9.

According to the investigation, one accomplice member of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust provided accommodation entries for the transfer of land from a company beneficially owned by Satyendar Jain to family members of accomplices in order to alienate the property and thwart the confiscation process.

On the basis of a First Information Report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 24, 2017, the ED launched a money-laundering investigation against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

On December 3, 2018, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Satyendar Kumar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain, and Ankush Jain.

According to the charge sheet, Satyendar Jain acquired assets that were disproportionate to his known sources of income while serving as a Minister in the Government of Delhi from February 14, 2015 to May 31, 2017.

The CBI has charged Satyendar Kumar Jain and others for violating the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988.