Mumbai: The BJP-led govt has inducted many ministers who are still facing ED investigations. This includes Pratap Sarnaik, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde and deputy CM Ajit Pawar. None of them have been chargesheeted, but no closure reports have been filed in court to indicate that investigations against them have come to an end.
BJP leader Girish Mahajan, on the other hand, has joined the cabinet after receiving clearance through a CBI closure report recently.
Pawar, Mushrif and Sarnaik were opposition members when accused by ED of money laundering, but later became the BJP’s alliance partners. The cases continue and chargesheets have been filed against some persons and companies with which they are alleged to have links. No action was initiated in Munde’s case.
Mahajan faced police charges during MVA govt’s tenure for extortion and kidnapping. He maintained his innocence and requested a CBI probe. The Eknath Shinde govt transferred the case to CBI, which cleared Mahajan. Subsequently, CBI filed an FIR against IPS officer Bhagyashree Navtake and others for criminal conspiracy and providing false information on people associated with Mahajan.
Mushrif, from Ajit Pawar’s NCP, had had his premises searched last year by ED over money laundering allegations. He gave statements after securing interim protection from arrest from Bombay HC. His petition said: “…recent events and the manner in which the enforcement case information report (ECIR) is registered clearly indicates mala fide intent and the applicant apprehends that the ECIR would be used to put them behind bars in order to achieve oblique political conspiracy.” The ED investigated claims against him of collecting Rs 37-38 crore from farmers for shares in a sugar unit, which were allegedly allocated to family-controlled organisations.
Munde faces an ED investigation regarding a 17-acre plot in Pus village, Beed district. The land parcel, previously gifted to Belkhandi Math’s chief priest, was acquired by Munde from the priest’s heirs in 2012.
Ajit Pawar is under investigation by ED in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank-related money laundering case.
Sarnaik faces two money laundering cases, with properties attached by ED. He was among the first MLAs in undivided Shiv Sena to publicly urge his then party chief Uddhav Thackeray to join BJP to end “harassment” by central govt agencies. He joined Shinde after the party split.
