Trouble for junior Bhujbal: Court issues non-bailable warrant over charges of money laundering

Mumbai: A special court created under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Pankaj Bhujbal, son of former Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, in a case registered against him and others in connection with construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and another matter. “A NBW is issued against accused no 3 (Pankaj),” said Special Judge P R Bhavke. Apart from the former MP, NBWs were also issued against some private persons named in the case after the court took cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) in the matter. [caption id=“attachment_2676714” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. PTI[/caption] Later, the court also extended the judicial custody of Chhagan Bhujbal and his nephew Sameer till 11 May. Earlier, the ED had told the court it had attached properties of Bhujbals worth Rs 131.86 crore, while remaining properties worth Rs 708.30 crore were yet to be identified and attached. Also, it had twice conducted searches at nine premises, including properties and offices, belonging to the senior Bhujbal, Pankaj, nephew Samir and few others. Pankaj, an MLA in the Maharashtra Assembly, has been named in the FIR filed by the agency, besides his father and former State PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal, other associates and entities and Sameer, who was arrested by ED in the same case early this year. The ED, had on March 30, filed a 11,500-page chargesheet naming Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer, corporates like D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure. The agency has filed two FIRs against Bhujbals and others under the anti-money laundering laws, based on FIRs filed by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau, to probe alleged irregularities in the construction of the state guesthouse ‘Maharashtra Sadan’ in Delhi and the Kalina land grabbing case here. The High Court, in December 2014, had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising the ED and state ACB officials to conduct the inquiry against Bhujbal and others. The ACB complaint names Pankaj and Sameer for offences such as cheating, conspiracy, criminal breach of trust under the IPC, and under the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act.