New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has issued eviction orders and taken "possession" of assets worth more than Rs 152 crore as part of a money laundering investigation into an alleged illegal coal levy case.
These 91 properties, including movable and immovable assets, belonging to former Chhattisgarh government bureaucrat Saumya Chaurasia, IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi, coal trader and prime accused in the case Suryakant Tiwari and others were attached by the federal probe agency in December last year under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED investigation relates to allegations of "a massive scam in which an illegal levy of Rs 25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen", the agency had earlier said.
The Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA, after giving an opportunity to all the defendants and hearing arguments of both sides, confirmed the attachment order on June 1, the ED said in a statement.
"Accordingly, ED has taken possession of 81 immovable properties and issued eviction notices in respect of ten immovable properties in accordance with the PMLA (taking possession of attached or frozen properties confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2013," it said.
These assets which include flats, jewellery, coal washeries and plots, are "beneficially owned" by Chaurasia, Vishnoi, Suryakant Tiwari and another coal trader Sunil Agarwal, it said.
Nine people, including Chaurasia, Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and Chhattisgarh-cadre Indian Administrative Service officer Sameer Vishnoi, have been arrested by the ED.