Political figures, bureaucrats formed syndicate to perpetrate Chhattisgarh liquor 'scam': ED
New Delhi (PTI): The ED on Tuesday said it has attached fresh assets worth more than Rs 100 crore of former Chhattisgarh excise commissioner Niranjan Das, 30 other excise officials and some major distilleries as part of its investigation into an alleged Rs 2,800-crore liquor scam in the state during the previous Congress government.
The Enforcement Directorate alleged that a "criminal" syndicate, involving senior bureaucrats and political figures of the state, "completely hijacked" the Chhattisgarh excise department between 2019 and 2023.
The provisionally attached assets include 78 properties like luxury bungalows, flats in premium complexes, commercial shop spaces and agricultural lands apart from 197 investments -- fixed deposits (FDs), balances in multiple bank accounts, life insurance policies and a diverse portfolio of equity shares and mutual funds, the ED said.
These assets worth a total Rs 38.21 crore belong to Das, an IAS officer, and 30 other excise officials, the federal probe agency said in a statement.
"This attachment highlights the deep-rooted complicity of the very officials tasked with protecting state revenue," the statement added.
The other set of properties, worth Rs 68.16 crore, belongs to three major Chhattisgarh-based distilleries named Chhattisgarh Distilleries Ltd., Bhatia Wine Merchants Pvt. Ltd., and Welcome Distilleries Pvt Ltd., it said.
Das and Arun Pati Tripathi (then MD of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited) "spearheaded" a "parallel" excise system that "bypassed" state controls to generate massive illegal earnings, it claimed.
The agency filed a fresh chargesheet in this case on December 26 detailing a "massive" corruption executed within the excise department between 2019-2023 resulting in the generation of proceeds of crime worth Rs 2,883 crore, the statement said.
"The investigation has revealed a well-organized criminal syndicate that subverted the state's liquor policy for personal gain through a multi-layered mechanism involving illegal commissions and the sale of unaccounted liquor," the ED said.
A total of 81 persons have been named as accused in the chargesheets filed in this case by the ED including Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, Das, former joint secretary and retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and former deputy secretary in the CM's office Saumya Chaurasia.
Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, the three distilleries and some other private individuals have also been named as accused in the ED chargesheets, as per the agency.
The ED claimed that its probe found a "deep-rooted conspiracy" across the then state's administrative and political hierarchy for illegal financial gains.
It said Chaitanya Baghel and Lakhma were arraigned as accused for their roles in "giving policy assent" and acquiring/utilizing alleged illicit funds in their businesses/real estate projects.
The ED identified Chaurasia as a "key coordinator" for handling illicit cash and managing appointments of compliant officers in the state excise department.
"The investigation established that excise officials were paid a fixed commission of Rs 140 per liquor case for allowing the sale of liquor in their jurisdictions.
"Niranjan Das alone is identified to have acquired more than Rs 18 crore proceeds of crime receiving a monthly bribe of Rs 50 lakh for facilitating the scam," the ED alleged.
The syndicate generated "illegal" earnings from the liquor trade through four distinct channels that included illegal commissions, unaccounted sales, cartel commission, FL-10A licences to "extort" commission from foreign liquor manufacturers, according to the ED.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
