Speculative views, not directly in charge of properties: Praful Patel on ED summon

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel denied any wrongdoing, saying his party was not directly in charge of the property after the ED summoned him in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged illegal assets of Iqbal Mirchi, an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Mumbai:After the ED summoned Praful Patel in connection with its money laundering probe linked to alleged illegal assets of Iqbal Mirchi, the senior NCP leader on Tuesday said that his party was not directly in charge of the property.

Addressing a presser in Mumbai, Patel said, "There are speculative views and documents which may have been leaked to media. Obviously, you (media) are in possession of some papers which may have never been brought to my attention."

"At this stage, everything is with court receiver of the High Court of Mumbai. We are nowhere directly looking after the property and neither are we directly in charge of it," he added.

Patel, a former Union minister in the UPA regime, has been asked by the ED to depose in Mumbai on October 18.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expected to record Patel''s statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with a deal between a real estate company promoted by Patel and his wife and wife of Mirchi, an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

According to ED officials, Patel''s Millennium Developers Pvt Ltd constructed a building called Ceejay House in 2006-07 and its third and fourth floors were transferred to Mirchi''s wife Hajra Iqbal.

The land on which the building tower was made is said to be owned by Mirchi. Investigators claim the land was purchased from the proceeds of crime of money laundering, drugs trafficking and alleged extortion crimes.

Patel and his party have denied any wrongdoing in the deal and said that the property papers explain that the transaction is "clean and transparent".

The ED recently arrested two alleged aides of Mirchi, who died in 2013 in London.

Mirchi is alleged to be the right-hand man of Dawood Ibrahim in drug trafficking and extortion crimes.

Read: Dawood Connection: ED summons Praful Patel over alleged land deal