Enforcement Directorate: Channi kin took bribes for transfer, postings of officials

NEW DELHI: Alleging corruption and payoffs involved in transfer/postings of bureaucrats in Punjab government led by CM Charanjit Singh Channi, the Enforcement Directorate on Monday issued a statement claiming his nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey has, in a recorded statement with the investigating officer, ‘accepted’ that Rs 10 crore cash seized during raids on his premises belonged to him and that “he received the seized cash in lieu of facilitation in sand mining operations and transfer/posting of officials”.
The alleged bribes received by Honey in transfer and postings of officials, as claimed by ED, expands the scope of its probe in the money laundering scam and may be extended to include some of the state’s government’s senior serving bureaucrats who may have helped Honey.
ED said it has recorded statements of Honey, his father Santokh Singh and other associates in a money laundering case registered against them. During the course of the search operation, statements of Kudratdeep Singh, Honey, Santokh Singh and Sandeep Kumar were recorded, establishing that the seized Rs 10 crore belonged to Honey, ED said. “Further, Honey accepted that he received the seized cash in lieu of facilitation in sand mining operations and transfer/postings of officials,” ED claimed. The agency said it had to arrest Honey as the latter was evasive on February 3 when he was called to record a statement.
Details of the recorded statement have also been shared by the agency with the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court while seeking Honey’s custodial remand after his arrest on February 3. His ED remand is ends on Tuesday and he will be produced before the court for extension of the custody.
The agency has moved swiftly in the case and has invited criticism from Congress where the party has claimed the ED is being used to intimidate its CM candidate. Channi was declared CM face of the party at a rally by Rahul Gandhi on Sunday.
During its raid on the premises of the accused on January 18, ED said it seized various incriminating documents, digital devices and unaccounted cash of more than Rs 10 crore.