The Enforcement Directorate has initiated the process of registering another money-laundering case against middleman Sanjay Bhandari and others. It is related to an alleged illegal consultancy agreement with Samsung Engineering Co. Limited (SECL) to help the company get a project worth ₹6,744.32 crore in Gujarat.
Also read: CBI books Sanjay Bhandari, Samsung Engineering for ‘corruption’ in Dahej project
Last month, in the same matter, the CBI booked the accused persons in a corruption case.
Among the accused are unknown officials of the ONGC Petro additions Limited (OpaL); Santech International FZC in the UAE in which Mr. Bhandari was a director; Foster Wheeler Energy Limited (FWEL)-UK and Hong NamKoong, former senior manager of SECL (South Korea).
As alleged, Santech had entered into the agreement with SECL in October 2007, in violation of the clauses of a contract between OPaL and SECL for the project. Mr. Bhandari received about $50 lakh from SECL through Santech’s Dubai account in June 2009.
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Mr. Bhandari has also been accused of not disclosing the receipt of funds and foreign account of Santech International in his Income-Tax returns.
In June last year, the CBI had booked Mr. Bhandari and others for alleged corruption in the ₹2,895-crore deal for supply of 75 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft to the IAF.
Based on a case made out by the Income-Tax department under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, the ED has already been probing Mr. Bhandari for his links to a London property.
The property was sold to UAE-based Skylite Investments in 2011-12.
In January, the agency arrested NRI businessman C.C. Thampi in the same case. He allegedly controlled Skylite Investments. A chargesheet was filed last month.
Earlier, in 2017, the ED had attached assets worth ₹21 crore of Mr. Bhandari, his wife and several companies linked to him. The same year, more assets worth ₹26.61 crore were seized under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, in lieu of the alleged undisclosed properties acquired overseas.
The accused fled the country after the Delhi police had registered an FIR against him under the Official Secrets Act in October 2016. He is said to be in the United Kingdom.
