Panchkula: A Special CBI court in Panchkula on Friday allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to record the statements of nine accused in the alleged Rs 160 crore fraud involving fixed deposits of the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, which were parked in Kotak Mahindra bank.Special CBI Judge Vijayant Sehgal granted the ED’s application seeking permission to examine the accused under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The court held that recording their statements was necessary for a “just, proper and effective investigation” into the money laundering case linked to the alleged fraud.The accused include Pushpinder Singh, Rajat Dahra, Dilip Kumar Raghav, Vikas Kaushik, Kapil Kumar, Swati Tomar, Sonia, Neha Samar Ranga and Priyanka Raijada. Of them, Pushpinder Singh has been arrested by the ED, while the others are lodged in Ambala Central Jail in connection with the predicate offence being investigated by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).According to the ED, its Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), registered on March 30, arose from an FIR registered on March 24 by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. The case relates to allegations that funds belonging to the municipal corporation, Panchkula, which had been invested as fixed deposits with Kotak Mahindra Bank’s Sector-11 branch, were fraudulently siphoned off.The ED informed the court that Pushpinder Singh, who was posted as branch manager at the time, allegedly facilitated the diversion of funds with the help of forged documents purportedly prepared by Vikas Kaushik and Dilip Kumar Raghav. The agency alleged that the remaining accused were beneficiaries of proceeds of crime generated through the alleged fraud.Allowing the application, the court observed that statements of any person, including an accused, can be recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA during any stage of investigation or proceedings under the Act. It said such examination was essential for carrying out an effective probe into the money laundering allegations.With the court’s approval, the ED will now be able to examine all nine accused as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of municipal funds and the trail of proceeds of crime linked to the case.
