Anil Parab a three-time Shiv Sena legislator in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, the upper house of the state legislature, and Maharashtra Transport Minister sought 14 days to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.
In a communication to ED, Parab said he could not appear before the agency today due to his pre-scheduled engagements.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut told Afternoon Voice, “This whole NAI investigation against Anil Parab is done on the statement which was given by a criminal like Sachin Vaze, who is under immense pressure to talk falsely against the MVA government and their ministers, which I call a political vendetta. We will challenge this legally and sure to come out clean and also the entire Shiv Sena stands with Anil Parab.”
The summons came days after a viral video clip surfaced in which Parab was seen ordering police officers to arrest Union Minister Narayan Rane without delay.
MP Sanjay Raut said the judicial action was anticipated, as Parab is the Guardian Minister of Ratnagiri where Rane was arrested.
Sanjay Raut also tweeted, “As expected, Anil Parab has been served a notice by the ED as soon as the Jan Ashirwad Yatra concluded. The central government has started its work. The epicentre of the earthquake was Ratnagiri (referring to Rane’s arrest) and Parab is the Guardian Minister of that district. Please understand the chronology. This is a legal battle which we will fight legally.”
The Maharashtra minister has been under the scanner after former Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze, in a letter he tried to submit to the NIA court had claimed that Parab had asked him to carry out extortion to the tune of Rs 50 crore from a private trust.
He also alleged that Parab told him to look into the inquiry against the fraudulent contractors listed in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and asked him to collect at least ‘Rs 2 crore’ from about 50 such contractors.
Whereas Parab has denied all the allegations stating that he will take the legal steps but refraining at this jour to talk to the media.
A suspended motor vehicle inspector of the Nashik Regional Transport Office (RTO) Gajendra Patil had also accused Parab and six officers of corruption, amounting to multiple crores, in connection with transfers and postings in the RTO.
