An ED official said the agency has confronted Balaji during investigation, with incriminating evidence, but he failed to rebut the same and offer any plausible explanation, instead he remained non-cooperative and evasive
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Thursday said its probe revealed that arrested Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji had abused his official power as the Transport Minister of the state in the earlier AIADMK regime.
The agency said Balaji along with his brother RV Ashok Kumar and then managing directors of State Transport Undertakings (STUs) allegedly obtained illegal gratification from candidates to recruit them as drivers, conductors, junior tradesmen, junior assistants, junior engineer and assistant engineer in the transport corporations.
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“The ED has filed a prosecution complaint before the Special Court, in Chennai, against Balaji, the then Transport Minister, Tamil Nadu, on August 12 for committing the offence of money laundering emanating from ‘cash-for-jobs scam’ in Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai). On August 16, the Special Court, Chennai, took cognizance of the prosecution complaint filed by the ED,” an ED spokesperson said in a statement.
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“ED investigation has revealed that, Balaji, the then Transport Minister, by abusing his official capacity, along with his brother RV Ashok Kumar, and his personal assistants B Shanmugam and M Karthikeyan, entered into a criminal conspiracy with the then managing directors of STUs along with other officers of transport corporations and obtained illegal gratification from candidates to recruit them as drivers, conductors, junior tradesmen, junior assistants, junior engineer and assistant engineer in the transport corporations,” the spokesperson said. “During ED investigation, the bank statements were also scanned and it has been revealed that there were huge cash deposits in the bank accounts of Balaji and his wife S Meghala. The ED has also collected incriminating evidence indicating the utilisation of proceeds of crime and establishing the nexus and modus operandi of ‘cash-for-jobs scam’,” the spokesperson added.
An ED official said the agency has confronted Balaji during investigation, with incriminating evidence, but he failed to rebut the same and offer any plausible explanation, instead he remained non-cooperative and evasive.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
First published on: 18-08-2023 at 02:26 IST
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