Criminal charges framed against TMC MP Saket Gokhale in money laundering case, says ED

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said that a special PMLA court in Ahmedabad has framed criminal charges against Saket Gokhale, a Rajya Sabha MP from Trinamool Congress (TMC), under the anti-money laundering law. The case against Gokhale is based on an FIR filed by the Gujarat Police, alleging misuse of funds collected through crowd-funding.

"The Ld Principal District and Sessions Judge, Ahmedabad (Rural) and designated Special Court PMLA, Ahmedabad today framed criminal charges against Saket Gokhale, MP Rajya Sabha and national spokesperson of All India Trinamool Congress under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002...," the ED said.

Last year, ED filed a charge sheet against the 31-year-old MP under the anti-money laundering law. The special court also rejected Gokhale's application under Section 309 of the CrPC, which sought to keep the PMLA proceedings in abeyance until the court decided on the scheduled offence case registered against him.

In December 2022, the Gujarat Police arrested Gokhale from Delhi for allegedly misusing funds collected through crowd-funding.

The ED informed the court that Gokhale had spent large sums of money collected through crowd-funding on "speculative share trading, wining and dining and other personal expenses which appear to be extravagant in nature." However, Gokhale denied misusing the funds.

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