New Delhi, Oct 12: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday claimed that funds of about Rs 860-Rs 880 crore, generated from an alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh during the previous Congress regime, were delivered to the party's office in Raipur through its office bearers.
In a statement, the central agency said that it filed a fresh (supplementary) chargesheet against Ramgopal Agrawal, former treasurer of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), on October 9 before a special PMLA court.
It added that Agrawal's two flats, located in Anupam Nagar and Katora Talab areas of Raipur and valued at Rs 9.06 crore, were also provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on October 10.
Agrawal, arrested by the ED in the case in August, is currently lodged in jail under judicial custody.
There was no immediate comment from the Chhattisgarh Congress or Agrawal's lawyers on the ED charges.
Last week, the agency arrested Agrawal in Raipur in a separate money laundering case linked to an alleged rice milling scam in the state.
The ED alleged that a liquor syndicate controlled the Chhattisgarh Excise Department and the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Ltd (CSMCL), and generated proceeds of crime of more than Rs 2,883 crore between 2019 and 2023 through illegal commission on the supply of country liquor, sale of unaccounted liquor through government shops with duplicate holograms and annual commission from distillers apart from the FL-10A licence mechanism for foreign liquor.
"ED investigation has revealed that a substantial part of the cash generated by the syndicate was handled by Laxmi Narayan Bansal alias Pappu Bansal and delivered at Rajiv Bhawan, the office of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee at Shankar Nagar, Raipur, on the directions of Agrawal.
"The cash was carried by persons associated with the syndicate and handed over at Rajiv Bhawan to Devendra Dadsena, the accountant working under Ramgopal Agrawal," the agency alleged.
It added that the cash amount of about Rs 860-Rs 880 crore "connected with the liquor scam" was delivered through this channel. About Rs 72 crore remained under the control of Agrawal and was retained, used or distributed on his directions.
Contemporaneous digital records of the syndicate, call detail records and statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA "corroborate" the delivery mechanism and his (Agrawal's) role, according to the agency.
The ED has filed seven prosecution complaints (chargesheets) in this case and arrested a total of nine people including high-profile persons like Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, ex-IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of former Raipur mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar; and Arun Pati Tripathi, an Indian Telecom Service officer and former MD of CSMCL.
It has attached assets worth Rs 610 crore as part of this investigation till now.
"Investigation into the identification of the other beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime is continuing," the ED said.
