Parab moves HC against ED’s money laundering case

First India Bureau Mumbai: Former Maharashtra minister Anil Parab on Monday moved Bombay HC seeking to quash the money laundering case lodged by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Sai Resort at Dapoli in Ratnagiri. Parab also sought interim relief of no coercive action being taken against him pending the hearing of his plea.

A division bench headed by Justice Revati Mohite Dere will hear the plea on Tuesday.

Parab moved HC after ED arrested his business partner and aide Sadanand Kadam on March 10.

ED had claimed the value of the Dapoli land is around Rs 2.74 crore and on the said land the resort valued at Rs 7.46 crore was proceeds of crime.

In 2011, Pune resident

Vibhas Sathe purchased agriculture land at Dapoli and then sold the plot to Parab in 2017 for Rs 1.80 crore, although the sale deed was exe- cuted in 2019. The agency claimed, out of total amount, Rs 80 lakh was paid in cash, which was handed over to Sathe by Kad- am on behalf of Parab. Subsequently, Sai Resort was constructed on the plot and Parab sold it to Kadam.

ED alleged Parab and Kadam had made Sathe make an application to convert the land usage from agricultural to non-agricultural.

“Kadam had pressurised revenue department officials and obtained illegal permission on September 12, 2017,” the ED said. Apart from this, ED claimed “Kadam, in connivance with Parab, had caused detrimental damage to the environment by constructing Sai Resort”.

The absence of any sewage and other municipal or such outlets for the safe discharge of effluents, owing to the illegal construction of the said resort, was causing great damage to the environment and ecology of the seashore, the ED has claimed.