News Tamil Nadu

ED Seizes 15 Properties Linked DMK MP A Raja In Benami Case

October 10, 2023
The Commune

On Tuesday, (10 October 2023), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took control of 15 different immovable properties owned by the former Union Minister and currently a DMK MP, A Raja.

The ED has disclosed that these 15 properties, which were indirectly owned by Raja, were in fact held through his Benami company, M/s Kovai Shelters Promoters India Pvt Ltd. This action was taken by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of a disproportionate assets case.

In December 2022, the ED had temporarily attached 45 acres of land in Coimbatore belonging to A Raja’s company, again under the provisions of the PMLA. This land, valued at approximately ₹55 crores, had allegedly been purchased with bribe money from a major Gurugram-based real estate company in exchange for environmental clearance when Raja held the position of Minister for Environment and Forest during the UPA government in 2007, according to reports. Notably, this land was also registered under the name of Kovai Shelters Promoters India Pvt Ltd.

The said benami company was established in the same year and was officially registered in the names of Raja’s family members, according to the ED. However, the ED had previously indicated that the primary purpose of this company was to conceal the proceeds of A Raja’s alleged criminal activities.

It’s worth noting that A Raja, a DMK MP and former Union Minister, was recently in news for equating Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) with AIDS, leprosy, etc.

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