20-03-14
Staff Reporter
Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP), on Thursday, alleged that former National President
of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Lok Sabha candidate Nitin Gadkari
was involved in ‘money-laundering’ through a web of shell companies. AAP
dared Gadkari to come clean on the source of the money ‘routed’ through
shell companies.
Addressing a press conference at AAP office on Thursday evening, Ajit
Sawant alleged that Gadkari ‘routed’ money received from various
entities through several shell companies into Purti Sakhar Karkhana
Limited. Sawant, who was suspended from Congress in 2012 after he
brought to fore documents pertaining to senior Congress leader
Kripashankar Singh’s disproportionate assets, has joined AAP. Asked
about AAP’s previous allegation of Gadkari-Muttemwar ‘nexus’, Sawant
said that documents against Muttemwar ‘were not available so far’.
Circulating auditor’s report of Update Mercantile Private Limited to
media, Sawant said that Gadkari and three other entities namely Awani
Electricals Private Limited, Reatox Builders and Developers Private
Limited, and ICD Ideal Road Builders had given ‘unsecured loans’
collectively worth Rs 1,16,53,220 to Update Mercantile Private Limited
in financial year 2006-2007 and it was carried forward in balance sheet
for the year 2007-08. “Later on, an amount of Rs 1,36,66,000 was
invested in Purti Sakhar Karkhana Limited and shares of Rs 30 lakh were
bought in Yash Agro Energy Private Limited,” Sawant said. The auditor’s
report of Update Mercantile circulated by Sawant also mentioned about
‘Contingent Liability’ and stated, “The company has given corporate
guarantee to IREDA for availing term loan for Purti Sakhar Karkhana
Limited.”
Reiterating the AAP’s allegations that Gadkari and Reatox Builders were
linked, Sawant said, “Gadkari and Reatox both giving unsecured loans to
the same shell company exposes link between both.” He alleged that there
were several such shell companies through which Gadkari ‘routed’ money
to Purti Sakhar Karkhana Limited. He named a few companies -- Allwise
Finvest, Ashwani Sales, Earnwell Trades -- and alleged that Directors of
these companies were the same in different combinations. “Kawadu Zade,
who is Diwanji with Gadkari’s firm; Manohar Panse, who is driver with
him; Sagar Kotwaliwale, Nishant Agnihotri are four names that appear as
Directors in permutation and combination is most of these shell
companies,” Sawant alleged.
Sawant also alleged that some of the shell companies were the same in
the cases involving names of senior NCP leaders namely Water Resources
Minister Sunil Tatkare and Public Works Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Sawant
quoted from data with Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and said
that Reatox Builders had donated Rs 50 lakh to BJP through Cheque No
309334 in 2009-10. Sawant wondered why did the report of Income Tax
Department’s probe had not come out, and demanded CBI probe into the
matter.
Prajakta Atul of AAP also was present at the press conference.
AAP’s charges are political: Purti
Reacting
to the charges levelled by AAP, Purti Group PRO Nitin Kulkarni said
that the same allegations were levelled by Ajit Sawant over a year ago.
“We had clarified our stand then, and are co-operating with the agencies
concerned. AAP has levelled the allegations once again ahead of Lok
Sabha polls to derive political mileage out of it,” he said.
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