ED attaches properties worth Rs 1.94 crore of Om Prakash Chautala in corruption case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached one immovable property which consists of land and farmhouse located in New Delhi worth Rs 1,94,52,347 of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), in a corruption case.

The case was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Om Prakash Chautala and others for the acquisition of assets disproportionate to their known source of income, read a statement from ED.

CBI has filed charge sheet against Om Prakash Chautala, Abhay Chautala and Ajay Chautala under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

During the investigation, CBI found out that Om Prakash Chautala had acquired assets disproportionate to his known source of income to the tune of Rs 6,09,79,026 during the check period from May 24, 1993, to May 31, 2006. The investigation also revealed that Abhay and Ajay had also acquired assets disproportionate to their known source of income to the tune of Rs 119, 69,82,619 and Rs 27,74,74,260 respectively.

During the course of an investigation under PMLA, it is revealed that Om Prakash Chautala had acquired immovable properties at New Delhi, Panchkula and also constructed a residential house at Sirsa (Haryana) during the check period from the money received from undisclosed sources.

It was also revealed that Om Prakash Chautala was directly involved in the acquisition and projecting various tainted properties as his untainted properties. He had disclosed properties so acquired in the affidavit filed before returning officer in Haryana Vidhan Sabha Election 2005 and 2009 thereby projecting publicly the tainted properties as untainted.

Earlier, in this case, the Enforcement Directorate had attached properties of Om Prakash Chautala to the tune of Rs 46,96,000 which got confirmed by Adjudicating Authority under PMLA. Further properties of Om Prakash Chautala to the tune of Rs 3.68 crore were also attached in April 2019. Prosecution Complaint against Om Prakash Chautala was also filed before a Special Court on July 17, 2018, and cognizance of which was taken by the special court on November 27, 2018.

Later a Supplementary Prosecution Complaint was also filed before the Special Court on April 25, 2019. With this attachment, ED has attached the property of Om Prakash Chautala to the extent of the entire Proceeds of Crime generated through the alleged acquisition of Disproportionate Assets amounting to Rs 6 crore (approximately).

Further investigation in the case is currently underway.