ED intensifies probe into CLUfraud, summons GMADA chief
Chandigarh/Jalandhar, May 18 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the chief administrator of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) in connection with its ongoing money laundering investigation into the alleged change of land use (CLU) fraud involving major real estate projects in Punjab.
The summons to 2015-batch IAS officer Sandeep Kumar were issued 10 days after the ED conducted raids at 12 locations across Chandigarh and Mohali under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency is probing alleged irregularities in CLU licences granted to projects linked with Suntec City and Altus Space Builders Private Limited.
Kumar is the second IAS officer to be summoned by the probe agency in a span of two days.
On Saturday, the ED issued a notice to Basant Garg, the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), in a separate case, seeking records related to the release of nearly Rs.2-crore bank guarantee to a company purportedly linked to Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora, who is under arrest in a money laundering case.
In summons issued under Section 50 of the PMLA, ED assistant director Akshay Kumar stated that the GMADA chief's attendance was necessary for "giving evidence and production of records" connected with the investigation.
The agency directed the official to appear personally before its Jalandhar office on Monday or depute a gazetted officer along with the required records.
Calls and text messages to the GMADA chief administrator did not elicit any response.
The ED has sought complete files and records related to CLUs issued by GMADA to Suntec City and Altus Builders. It also asked for details of officials involved in granting approvals to projects linked to Altus Space Builders Pvt Ltd, besides seeking financial transaction details between the company and GMADA.
According to officials familiar with the probe, the ED suspects that payments made by Altus to GMADA were allegedly funded by Dhir Constructions during Aman Arora's tenure as minister handling PUDA-related affairs. Arora, however, has categorically denied the allegations after his name surfaced during the investigation.
Earlier on May 8 and 9, the ED carried out searches at premises linked to Ajay Sehgal, ABS Townships, Altus Space Builders, Dhir Constructions and their associates. The agency reportedly recovered nearly Rs.1 crore during the raids.
During the operation, ED officials also recovered Rs.21 lakh allegedly thrown from the ninth floor of Western Towers in Kharar by persons linked to the accused. The searches also targeted alleged middlemen Nitin Gohal and Pritpal Singh Dhindsa....
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