New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate will
attach properties of suspended IAS couple in Madhya Pradesh,
Arvind and Tinu Joshi, who have allegedly amassed illegal
assets worth Rs 350 crore.
The ED action comes in the wake of a recent order by the
Adjudicating Authority of the Prevention of Money Laundering
Act (PMLA) based in the national capital which "endorsed" a
provisional order of the agency in this regard.
"The attachment proceedings will be initiated as the
adjudicating authority has approved the agency`s order which
said that the properties of the Joshi couple should be
confiscated as proceeds of crime," ED sources said today.
As per the procedure, the ED has to get endorsed its
attachment orders under PMLA from a higher authority.
The zonal office of ED in Ahmedabad had issued an order
in May this year to provisionally attach the properties of the
IAS couple who are under suspension after the Income Tax
Department in February last year conducted searches at their
premises in Bhopal and allegedly unearthed Rs 350 crore
amassed by them.
The ED had subsequently registered a money laundering
case against the couple who belong to the 1979 batch of IAS.
ED had also served notices to them for alleged
violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Both Arvind and Tinu have also served at the Central
government level.
Tinu served as Deputy Secretary in the PMO from July 1,
1988 to January 1, 1990 while Arvind was Joint Secretary in
the Defence Ministry during the 1999 Kargil conflict.
PTI
