New Delhi: Former Haryana chief minister
Om Prakash Chautala and his two sons have been booked by the
Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges.
Official sources said the Directorate has filed the
case under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act
(PMLA) following a CBI chargesheet against the trio.
Chautala is the second former chief minister after
Madhu Koda, the former chief minister of Jharkhand, to be
booked under money laundering charges.
The case against the trio is based on the chargesheet
filed by the CBI in a disproportionate asset case.
"The Enforcement Directorate has filed a case against
Chautala and his two sons under PMLA based on the CBI case
against them," a source said.
His sons Ajay and Abhay are members of the Haryana
Assembly from Dabwali and Ellenabad constituencies
respectively.
Sources said the market value of the properties
allegedly owned by the trio is worth several hundred crores
though the CBI has accused them of having assets worth several
crores, which were beyond their known sources of income.
The Directorate will also conduct its own
investigations to find out if they had any more properties and
foreign links.
As part of the probe, Letter Rogatory to certain
countries are also likely to be issued.
75-year-old Chautala is a five-time chief minister and
last held the post between July 1999 to March 2005. He
currently represents Uchana Kalan constituency of Hissar
district in Haryana Assembly.
The CBI in the chargesheet filed in Karkardooma court
here on March 26 alleged that Chautala was found in possession
of assets to the tune of Rs 6.09 crore disproportionate to his
known sources of income.
Among the properties mentioned in the chargesheet by
the CBI were six plots in Haryana and Delhi, a farm house, a
penthouse, Rs 80 lakh cash and other assets worth Rs 2.5
crores.
On December 24 last, the CBI had filed chargesheets
in the designated court against Chautala's son Ajay and Abhay
for allegedly having assets more than their known sources of
income.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 17:40