The ED has attached eight land parcels in Alibag and a flat in Mumbai’s Dadar suburb linked to Raut and his family. The agency issued a provisional attachment under the PMLA to freeze the land parcels (plots) and a flat. They link the attachment to a money-laundering investigation linked to a Rs 1,034 crore worth land ‘scam’ related to the re-development of a ‘chawl’ in Mumbai, according to reports.
While speaking to the news agency ANI Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “I’m not one to get scared, seize my property, shoot me, or send me to jail, Sanjay Raut is Balasaheb Thackeray’s follower and a Shiv Sainik, he’ll fight and expose everyone. I’m not one to stay quiet, let them dance. The truth will prevail”: Speaking to reporters, the senior Shiv Sena leader said this had resulted from his efforts to establish the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state, and his refusal to succumb to demands that he must help destabilise it.”
He also claimed that the properties, which were seized, were self-earned, and if they proved that he and his wife had even a rupee in black money, he would donate all his properties to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to Raut, the Alibag land had been purchased in 2009 and the loan of Rs 55 lakh taken from Pravin Raut’s wife was reflected in his election affidavits, the money had also been repaid. Raut claimed that he did not know where the Patra Chawl was located.
In a statement, the ED said, “The attached assets are in form of lands held by Pravin M Raut, former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, Mumbai at Palghar, a flat at Dadar of Varsha Raut and plots at Kihim beach at Alibag jointly held by Varsha Raut wife of Shri Sanjay Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar.”
The central agency had arrested Pravin Raut on February 4 under the PMLA. It had been found that Pravin received Rs 100 crore from HDIL and “diverted” it to various accounts of “his close associates, family members, his business entities” including the family of Sanjay Raut. The ED said its probe into the irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra chawl has found that they signed a tripartite agreement between the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd. As per the agreement, Guruashish was to provide flats to 672 tenants of the chawl, develop flats for MHADA and then sell the remaining area to private builders.
