New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned senior NCP leader Praful Patel in connection with its money laundering probe linked to alleged illegal assets of late Iqbal Mirchi, an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, officials said here Tuesday.
The officials said, Praful Patel, a former Union minister in the UPA regime, has been asked to depose October 18 in Mumbai.
The ED is expected to record Patel’s statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with a deal between a real estate company promoted by Patel and his wife and spouse of Iqbal Mirchi.
It should be stated here that Praful Patel has already been questioned by the ED in another money laundering case linked to the aviation scam.
According to ED officials, Patel’s ‘Millennium Developers Pvt Ltd’ constructed a building called ‘Ceejay House’ in 2006-07 and its third and fourth floors were transferred to Mirchi’s wife Hajra Iqbal.
The land on which the building tower was made is said to be owned by Iqbal Mirchi. Investigators claim the land was purchased from the proceeds of crime of money laundering, drugs trafficking and alleged extortion crimes.
Patel and the NCP have denied any wrongdoing in the deal and said that the property papers explain that the transaction is ‘clean and transparent’. The ED recently arrested two alleged aides of Mirchi, who died in 2013 in London.
Meanwhile Patel rubbished as ‘mere speculation’ reports about his alleged deal in Mumbai with gangster Iqbal Mirchi.
“Documents may have been leaked to media. Obviously, you are in possession of some papers, which may have never been brought to my attention,” Patel told reporters here.
“My family owns Millennium. No one else is a partner. There is not even a single paisa worth property transaction between the Patel family and Hajra Memon. Everything is with the court receiver of the Bombay High Court. We are nowhere directly looking after the property and neither are we directly in charge of it,” the senior NCP leader said.
Asked if he saw a political motive behind the ED action in the matter, Patel said, “You (media) have a better idea as some papers about which even I wasn’t aware have come your way.”
PTI