New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday summoned Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Dev and son Tejashwi in the IRCTC money laundering case.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Arun Bharadwaj took cognisance of the charge sheet and directed all the accused to be present before it on October 6. The court also issued production warrant against Prasad considering the fact that he is currently lodged in a Ranchi jail.
A week ago, the court had sought more time to go through the documents filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) before taking cognisance of the charge sheet.
The agency said Prasad and IRCTC officials allegedly misused their position for granting sub-lease right of two railway hotels at Puri and Ranchi to Sujata Hotel Pvt Ltd owned by Vinay Kochhar and Vijay Kochhar. The Kochhars also own Chanakya Hotel in Patna.
In lieu of the hotels’ sub-lease, a prime plot of land in Patna was transferred to Delight Marketing Company Pvt Ltd (owned by family of PC Gupta who is a close associate of Prasad and an MP from RJD) in February 2005 at a rate which was much less than the then prevailing circle rates.
According to the charge sheet, “The said company possessing valuable chunk of land gradually got transferred to Rabri Devi and her son Tejashwi by way of share purchase at nominal prices.
“The funds used to acquire the land had dubious origin and had been laundered through 151 group of companies belonging to PC Gupta by using an NBFC named Abhishek Finance Company Limited.”
Subsequently, the shares of Delight Marketing Company Private Limited, it said, were acquired by Rabri Devi and Tejashwi at less than fair market value.
"It is noteworthy that the funds used for acquisition of shares by Rabri Devi are questionable and individuals from whom Tejashwi had purchased shares denied any knowledge of holding them," it said.
The ED said it has attached assets worth over Rs 44 crore in this case till now. The agency has also named PC Gupta and his wife Sarla Gupta, a firm Lara Projects and 10 others, including IRCTC's the then MD PK Goyal, in the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), too, has filed a charge sheet in the case in which the court has already summoned Prasad, his wife and their son as accused.
The CBI FIR had alleged that Prasad, during his tenure as the railway minister in UPA-I government, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company in 2004 after receiving a bribe in the form of a prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta.
Comments
0 comment