Mumbai: Maharashtra’s ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who is being probed in the money laundering case, finally arrived at the Enforcement Directorate office on Monday. The ED officials said the federal probe agency will record the statement of the 71-year-old NCP leader under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the criminal investigation being carried out by it in the alleged Rs 100 crore bribery-cum-extortion rackets in the Maharashtra Police establishment that led to Deshmukh’s resignation in April.
Deshmukh had skipped at least 4 summons issued by the ED in the case but after the Bombay High Court last week refused to quash these summons, he appeared before the agency. The ED case against Deshmukh, who was earlier the home minister in the MVA government, and others came after the CBI booked him in the corruption case related to allegations of bribe made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Param Bir Singh had accused Mr Deshmukh of interference and using the police to extort. He had written the letter days after being removed from his post over tardy progress in the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare matter under his watch. Mr Deshmukh had said some “unforgivable” lapses had been revealed in the Mukesh Ambani security scare probe under the police chief. Now, the former top cop is also missing and a lookout notice has already been issued against him. He also faces allegations of extortion. On Sunday, the CBI made the first arrest in the bribery case.