NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken out CCTV footage of a Tihar prison cell, where Delhi cabinet minister Satyendar Jain has been kept in judicial custody in a money laundering case, and moved a special court here claiming that it is evidence of the minister influencing key witnesses brought to his cell by prison staff.
On a special request, the trial court has allowed Jain's counsel to be supplied with a pen drive containing the video evidence and a copy of the affidavit filed by the agency showing Jain talking to co-accused in his cell. In what is considered as a major security breach within the high-security Tihar jail, the ED, sources said, has produced video footage along with an affidavit before the trial court claiming that accused Jain has access to electronic gadgets, besides prison staff bringing other co-accused in the case to meet the AAP minister in his prison cell in violation of all norms.
ED’s affidavit says it fears Jain, if given bail, can influence witnesses Before he was arrested on May 30 this year, Satyendar Jain was the minister for prisons in Delhi’s AAP government, in addition to holding other portfolios, including health. Interestingly, the ED was about to submit the affidavit and video footage of Jain allegedly meeting key witnesses in jail before the Supreme Court last week when Jain suddenly withdrew his plea challenging a high court judgment that had changed the court that was hearing his bail application.
The ED finally submitted its affidavit before the trial court, which is currently hearing Jain’s bail application. The case has similarities to conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar allegedly using a prison cell to run an extortion racket. At least half a dozen prison staff have been arrested in that case, including superintendent-rank officers, for assisting the conman with access to multiple mobile phones and special visitors to run his extortion racket from within the prison cell. In the latest development against Jain, the ED’s affidavit builds on fears it expressed earlier that Jain, if released on bail, will influence witnesses in the money laundering case against him and his wife.
The ED had also argued earlier that the minister, who is yet to be sacked by CM Arvind Kejriwal, could mislead the investigation like he had done in the past when he produced a medical certificate from Delhi government’s LNJP Hospital about his "sickness" necessitating hospitalisation. The minister’s hospitalisation was set aside by the HC after ED approached it asserting that Jain does not require any immediate medical attention and that he has refused to produce a medical certificate from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, under the central government, as directed earlier by the court. On July 29, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Delhi had also taken cognisance of an ED chargesheet filed against Jain, prima facie validating the probe agency's finding that the minister and his family members were involved in laundering of more than Rs 16 crore through four shell companies.
“Looking at the material on record, it can be said that there is prima facie sufficient incriminating evidence about the involvement of the accused. Thus, cognisance of the offence under Section 3 of PMLA punishable under Section 4 is taken. Accused No. 1 (Satyendar Jain), 5 (Vaibhav Jain) and 6 (Ankush Jain) are already in custody and while accused No. 1 has been joined through VC, accused No. 5 and 6are present from J/C. Documents be supplied to them,” the judge had ruled.
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