Money laundering charges framed against TMC MP Saket Gokhale: ED
New Delhi, Aug 13: A special PMLA court in Ahmedabad has framed criminal charges, under the anti-money laundering law, against TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate said.
The money laundering case against Gokhale stems from a Gujarat Police FIR in connection with alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowd-funding.
"The Ld. Principal District and Sessions Judge, Ahmedabad (Rural) and designated Special Court PMLA, Ahmedabad today framed criminal charges against Saket Gokhale, MP Rajya Sabha and national spokesperson of All India Trinamool Congress under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002...," the ED said in a statement.
It said a charge sheet was filed against the 31-year-old MP under the anti-money laundering law last year.
"Charges against him for the scheduled offence in the police case (Gujarat Police) had also been framed," it said.
The special court had also rejected the application filed by Gokhale under Section 309 of the CrPC for keeping the proceedings under PMLA, 2002 in abeyance till the case of scheduled offence registered against him is decided by the court, the ED said.
The state police had arrested Gokhale from Delhi in December 2022 in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowd-funding.
The ED had informed the court that "huge amounts of money collected through crowd funding (by Gokhale) has been splurged on speculative share trading, wining and dining and other personal expenses which appear to be extravagant in nature".
Gokhale, however, had denied that he misused these funds.
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Four passengers arrested at BLR airport with hydroponic ganja worth over Rs 21.5 crore
Bengaluru (PTI): Four passengers who arrived from Bangkok at Kempegowda International Airport here were arrested with hydroponic ganja valued at over Rs 21.5 crore in two separate cases, officials said on Saturday.
They were intercepted at Terminal 2 of the airport on May 1, they added.
In the first case, Bengaluru Customs said in a post on ‘X’ that three passengers arriving from Bangkok were intercepted, and 52.68 kg of hydroponic ganja, valued at Rs 18.43 crore, was seized from their baggage.
In a separate case on the same day, another passenger arriving from Bangkok was intercepted, and 9 kg of hydroponic ganja, valued at Rs 3.15 crore, was seized from his baggage.
In both cases, the accused, whose identities have not been disclosed, were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, officials added.
