Anil Deshmukh, the former Maharashtra Home Minister, came at the Enforcement Directorate headquarters in Mumbai today for interrogation in a money laundering case against him, despite claims that he was untraceable. Mr. Deshmukh, who resigned from his office earlier this year amid a spat over bribery charges leveled against him, was denied relief by the Bombay High Court on Friday in his petition for the summons to be canceled.
“CBI also sent me with two summons. I went to the CBI office whenever I received a summons and had my statement recorded. My case is still pending before the Supreme Court today. But today, I went to the ED’s office and introduced myself “In a video, the 71-year-old politician can be heard stating in Marathi.
Read also: Anil Deshmukh skips ED summon for 5th time, sends lawyer’s letter
Mumbai’s ex-top officer Param Bir Singh accused Mr. Deshmukh of corruption and extortion to the tune of Rs 100 crore. Param Bir Singh accused Mr. Deshmukh of interfering and using the police to extort up to Rs 100 crore per month in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. He sent the letter just days after being fired from his job due to slow progress in the Mukesh Ambani bomb fear case he was overseeing.
Mr. Deshmukh had previously stated that the Mukesh Ambani security scare inquiry under the police chief had uncovered certain “unforgivable” mistakes. Even though the NCP leader dismissed the charges and vowed to file a defamation suit over the bribery allegations, the allegations sparked a political storm in the state, with opposition leaders calling for his resignation.
Read also: ED again summons ex-Maha HM Anil Deshmukh for questioning
Now, the former top officer is gone, and a search warrant has been filed for him. Extortion charges have also been leveled against him, and various cases have been brought against him. Mr. Deshmukh blasted the former top officer today, saying: “Where is Param Bir Singh, the man who accused me of committing a crime? Several businesses and personnel from Param Bir Singh’s own department have filed complaints against him today.” The CBI made the first arrest in the bribery case involving the former minister on Sunday.
