ED seizes Rs 8.94 crore assets in PMLA case against former Assam govt official and wife

Guwahati: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Guwahati zone, on Saturday seized movable and immovable properties worth Rs 8.94 crore in Guwahati and Goalpara, Assam, in connection with a disproportionate assets case against Akhtar Hussain and his wife Jasmine Rahman.Hussain was the then divisional soil conservation officer at the Cachar soil conservation division in Silchar, and Rahman is a senior medical and health officer in Kamrup (Metropolitan). The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.According to an ED press release issued on Saturday, the seizure followed an investigation initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the chief minister’s special vigilance cell against Hussain under Sections 13 (1) (b) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.“The chargesheet filed by CM’s special vigilance cell disclosed that during the check period from 09.04.2003 to 28.08.2023, Hussain’s possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, to the tune of Rs. 8.97 crore, constituting 191.50% of his known sources of income,” the press release stated.The ED said its financial investigation found that Hussain and his wife acquired multiple immovable properties during the period by making payments substantially higher than the registered values shown in sale deeds, which the agency said concealed the actual deployment of proceeds of crime.The investigation also found that several properties were registered in the names of family members, which the agency said created multiple layers of concealment. “Properties acquired through POC were used to generate monthly rental income. Cash deposits aggregating to Rs 11.91 Lakh were made in Akhtar Hussain’s accounts and Rs 59.89 lakh in his wife’s accounts,” the press release said.The ED said further investigation is continuing to trace additional proceeds and identify other assets.