AAP defends Satyendar Jain after ED raids, says `nothing was seized, BJP spreading rumours`

New Delhi: Lashing out at the Centre saying that it is 'using' government agencies for conducting searches at Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain's residence, the AAP government on Tuesday said that the 'rumours' of cash and gold coins being seized from Jain's residence are being spread by the Centre to save their face as nothing was recovered from him. This came after the ED shared pictures of the almost Rs 2.8 crore cash and 1.8 kgs in gold coins seized from the aides of Jain who were raided on Monday.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwa said, "If you raid a jeweller's house, you will get only gold. What was found in Satyendar Jain sir's house? nothing, they (Centre) are lying."

"ED searched the house of Satyendar Jain from 7 am to 2 pm on Monday. Nothing was found at his house. ED's raid failed. The respect of the Modi government was tarnished at the international level recently. Now, BJP is spreading lies that crores of rupees and gold coins were found," he said.

"Nothing was found during the raid. So how to save face? They spread fake rumours that cash and gold coins were recovered. They are not saying what was found in Satyendar Jain`s house. The seizure memo of the ED raid was given to the wife and daughter of Satyendar Jain. In the memo, it was mentioned that various documents, one digital device, and Rs 2,79,200 was recovered during the search. However, the same was not seized," he said.

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has seized Rs 2.85 crore cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Health Minister Satyendra Jain`s aides during its day-long raid conducted on Monday.During the search, various incriminating documents and digital records were also seized, said the ED.

The ED said that the total movable assets were seized from an "unexplained source" and were "found to be secreted" in the raided premises.

The assets were seized during a search operation carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at the premises of Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and his accomplices and other persons who had either directly or indirectly assisted him or participated in the processes of money laundering.

Those who assisted the Delhi Minister in the money laundering are named as Ankush Jain, Vaibhav Jain, Naveen Jain and Siddharth Jain (Directors of Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), G S Matharoo (Chairman of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust which runs Prudence Group of Schools), Yogesh Kumar Jain (Director in Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), father-in-law of Ankush Jain and Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust, said the ED.