Page 5 - The Indian EYE 071522

BIG STORY JULY 08, 2022 | The Indian Eye 5

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey at the ED office, after being sum- Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut arrives to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED)
moned in connection with the NSE co-location scam, in Delhi (ANI Photo/Amit Sharma) in connection with the alleged money laundering case in Mumbai (ANI Photo)

to the company due to this act of the stressed that companies who operate agency recorded Pandey’s statement land grabbing registered by people in
Respondent (ED) and will negative- in India should follow the law of the under Section 50 under provisions of Rampur against him.
ly impact its reputation and business land regarding the ongoing investi- the Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Just hours after the Enforcement
operations. gation related to Vivo Mobile Com- in the NSE co-location scam to know Directorate (ED) summoned Sam-
The freezing of the Bank Ac- munications and some other Chinese how an audit company incorporated ajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, his
counts will not only impede the exist- firms. in 2001 by the retired Mumbai Police wife and their son on different dates
ing/prospective business operations In a weekly media briefing on chief, who did not raise the red flag before July 15, the SP leader was tak-
of the Petitioner conducted through Thursday by the Ministry of External that the NSE servers were compro- en to Rampur for a court appearance
the Bank Accounts but will bear an Affairs (MEA), official spokesperson, mised. where he took a jibe at the Bharatiya
adverse effect on the Petitioner’s op- Arindam Bagchi said, “Companies It is alleged that the firm incor- Janata Party (BJP) stating all cases
erations in India and across the globe, who operate here need to follow the porated by Pandey was one of the IT will be lodged against the Opposition
the plea said. law of the land. Our legal authorities companies tasked with conducting under BJP’s rule.
“If amounts in the Petitioner’s are taking steps as per law of the land. security audits at NSE during 2010 to “All the cases will continue to be
Bank Accounts remain frozen, it I don’t see the case to make com- 2015 when the co-location scam is be- on us, some other government people
would not be able to pay its statutory ments as such on it.” lieved to have taken place. will also be sued, all the cases will be
dues to the competent authorities un- Meanwhile, the Enforcement Di- In another high-profile case, the on the opposition parties under BJP,”
der various enactments, leading to the rectorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said Khan. He also stressed that he
Petitioner, being in further violation former Mumbai Police Commission- summoned Samajwadi Party leader was en route to the ED’s office as the
of law. The freezing also prevents the er Sanjay Pandey for nearly eight Azam Khan, his wife and their son agency had called him and said, “The
payment of salaries to the thousands hours in National Stock Exchange on different dates before July 15 in ED has called me, now that they have
of employees of the Petitioner.” (NSE) co-location scam case. connection with a case linked to the asked me, I will go.”
On Tuesday, Enforcement Di- Pandey, who retired as Mum- construction of Mohammad Ali Jau- Meanwhile, in another jolt to
rectorate conducted searches at more bai Police Commissioner last week, har University. the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena
than 40 locations including Uttar reached the ED headquarters around Khan, his wife Tazeen Fatima, faction, a former Member of Parlia-
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and some 11.20 am here at ED headquarters and their son Abdullah Azam have ment quit the party on Thursday.
southern states in connection in con- and left around 6.40 pm. Pandey been asked to appear at its zonal of- Anandrao Vithoba Adsul, former
nection with a money laundering case reached ED headquarters in an au- fice in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow. The Lok Sabha MP from Maharashtra’s
registered against Chinese smart- to-rickshaw, dodging media persons case is linked to a massive fund trans- Amravati resigned as a leader of the
phone manufacturer Vivo. waiting for his appearance since fer for the construction of UP’s Ram- Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut
According to the ED, Vivo In- morning, and left in a private taxi. pur-based Jauhar University. The ED said, “Anand Rao has given his resig-
dia’s nearly 23 associated firms such as Dressed in a sky-blue shirt and registered the case in 2019. nation, I have learnt that ED was go-
Grand Prospect International Com- black pants, Pandey was deposed be- In the ED’s money laundering ing on against him, there was a raid
munication Pvt Ltd (GPICPL) trans- fore the investigators following ED case against Khan, a team from the at his residence... due to this pressure
ferred huge amounts to the firm and summons against him. agency’s Lucknow branch had also may be...such pressure is on many
out of the total sale proceeds of Rs Pandey was questioned for al- conducted verification of the land leaders.”
1,25,185 crores, it remitted Rs 62,476 most two-and-a-half hours and al- acquired by Mohammad Ali Jauhar Whether the BJP government is
crores almost 50 per cent of the turn- lowed a lunch break around 2 pm. University in Rampur in May. using ED to harass and pressure op-
over out of India, mainly to China. The second part of the questioning Khan was booked under the Pre- position leaders or not, the agency
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Ex- started after the lunch break. vention of Money Laundering Act has become too powerful and nobody
ternal Affairs (MEA) on Thursday Meanwhile, the federal probe in August 2019 based on 26 cases of is beyond its reach.

www.TheIndianEYE.com