ED arrests former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in money laundering case
New Delhi/Chandigarh, Nov 11: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged drug racket being probed against him and others, officials said.
They said Khaira, 56, was taken into custody by the central probe agency in Punjab under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
He was produced before a special PMLA court in Mohali where the ED will seek his remand.
The agency had raided the premises of Khaira in Chandigarh, his son-in-law Inderveer Singh Johal in Delhi and that of some linked persons in March this year.
The ED has alleged that Khaira is an "associate" of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.
The politician has denied any wrongdoing and said he is being targeted by central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre's three new farm laws. Punjab goes to assembly polls early next year.
He had recently resigned from the state assembly.
Khaira won the assembly election in 2017 from the Bholath Assembly seat in Punjab's Kapurthala district on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.
He resigned from the primary membership of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in January 2019 and floated his own outfit, the Punjab Ekta Party. He then re-joined the Congress.
The case against Khaira pertains to the ED probe in a 2015 Fazilka (Punjab) drugs smuggling instance in which 1,800 gms of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, two weapons, 26 live cartridges and two Pakistani SIM cards were seized by security agencies from a gang of international drug smugglers.
The ED had filed the case under criminal sections of the PMLA after studying a Punjab Police FIR.
"The drugs were smuggled through the India-Pakistan border and one of the kingpins of the syndicate is in the UK.... Khaira was actively aiding and supporting the gang of international smugglers and enjoying the proceeds of crime," the agency had alleged.
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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.
