This Article is From Jun 09, 2022

No Relief For Arrested Delhi Minister, To Be In Custody Till Monday

The probe agency claims Satyendar Jain floated or bought several shell companies in Delhi and laundered black money worth ₹ 16.39 crore through them.

Satyendar Jain is currently a minister without any portfolio in the Delhi government.

New Delhi:

Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, arrested in an alleged money laundering case, will remain in Enforcement Directorate, or ED, custody till June 13 (Monday).

The Enforcement Directorate, while seeking five-day custody of Mr Jain, had told the court that it had gathered various incriminating documents and digital records against the AAP leader during a recent raid at his premises.

The assets were seized during a search operation carried out at the premises of Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and his accomplices on June 7.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the probe agency, told the court that the agency needed to confront Mr Jain with certain documents.

"Satyender Jain is a slow writer and is taking almost two hours to write one page. ED wants him to write a statement in his own handwriting otherwise he will deny the content of the statement written," ASG SV Raju told the court.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Mr Jain, opposed the application, saying the accused was already in ED's custody and that there was no ground to further extend his custody. The court, however, declined Mr Jain's request and granted the probe agency Mr Jain's extension till Monday.

Mr Jain's arrest on May 30 triggered a fresh war between the Aam Aadmi party and the BJP-ruled central government with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging that the case was "completely false".

"We have a very strict and honest government. We are hard-core patriots, can get beheaded but can never betray the country. His arrest is politically motivated," Mr Kejriwal had said, while addressing a press conference over the minister's arrest.

Mr Jain was arrested after the Enforcement Directorate in April this year attached immovable properties worth ₹ 4.81 crore in the money laundering case related to a Kolkata-based company.

The probe agency had registered a criminal case against the AAP leader based on a FIR lodged by the CBI in which it had been alleged that Jain could not explain the source of funds received by four companies in which he was a shareholder.

The probe agency claims Mr Jain floated or bought several shell companies in Delhi and laundered black money worth ₹ 16.39 crore through them.

Mr Jain is currently a minister without any portfolio in the Delhi government. Over half-a-dozen portfolios of Jain were transferred to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on June 2.

With inputs from PTI

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