In connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) fraud,
the Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over Rs 65 crore, including properties related to a business controlled by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The attached properties comprise the land, building, equipment, and machinery of Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar Karkhana in Satara, valued at Rs 65.75 crore (purchase price of the year 2010).
Guru Commodity Services Pvt. Ltd. presently owns the assets leased to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt. Ltd.
“Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt. Ltd. is mainly owned by Sparkling Soil Pvt. Ltd. Sparkling Soil Pvt. Ltd. is a linked firm to Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, and Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister “In a statement, the ED stated.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar claims he has not received any notification from the ED. He further denied knowing about the investigative agency’s attachment of Jarendeshwar Sugar Mill in Satara district.
Based on an FIR filed by Mumbai Police’s Economic Offence Wing in 2019, the ED began its research supporting the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
“At the time, Ajit Pawar was one of the most prominent and influential members of MSCB’s Board of Directors. Guru Commodity Services Pvt. Ltd. acquired the Sahkari Sugar Karkhana and promptly leased it to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt. Ltd., who is currently running the Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar Karkhana “According to the ED,
Officials claim that a significant portion of the cash used to acquire the Sahkari Sugar Karkhana came from Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt. Ltd., which got the funds through Sparkling Soil Pvt. Ltd., a firm linked to Ajit Pawar and his wife.
“Furthermore, from 2010 till present, Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills has utilized the SSK as a vehicle to acquire a loan of Rs 700 crore from Pune District Central Cooperative Bank and others. As a result, the assets held in the name of Guru Commodity Services Pvt. Ltd. (leased to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt. Ltd.) in the shape of Jarandeshwar SSK’s Land, Building & Structure, Plant & Machinery have been temporarily attached under the PMLA “According to the ED,
