Bilaspur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered an FIR in the alleged coal levy and liquor scam cases against a total of 105 people including former minister, former MLA, former chief secretary, two suspended IAS officers, retired bureaucrats and many Congress leaders.
The agency has registered the FIR at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Raipur. The FIR has named 35 people in the liquor scam case and 70 in coal levy scam case.
Those named in the FIR for alleged liquor scam case are Anwar Dhebar, former minister Kawasi Lakhma, Anil Tuteja, Yash Tuteja and over a dozen excise officials. The FIR on alleged coal levy scam case includes Ranu Sahu, Sameer Vishwanoi, Soumya Chaurasia, Sunil Aggarwal, Suryakant Tiwari, Vinod Tiwari, who are lodged in jails in connection with the case.
Former minister Amarjeet Bhagat, former MLA Shishupal Sori, Brihaspat Singh, former chief secretary Vivek Dhandh, Bhilai Nagar MLA Devendra Yadav, former MLA UD Minj, former MLA Gulab Kamro, Ram Gopal Aggarwal, Vijay Bhatia and Chandradev Rai are among the 70 accused in the alleged coal levy scam.
During the tenure of the previous Congress-led government, ED had conducted raids in the houses of politicians, businessmen and IAS officers of the state. Many of these officers and businessmen are currently in jail in connection with the coal levy and liquor scam cases.
Hearing in the liquor scam and coal scam cases are already underway in the High Court. Advocate Saurabh Pandey, who represented the ED in this case, said that FIR has been registered against 105 people in both the cases. Action will be taken after investigation, he said.
"A letter was written to the state machinery to register a case under Section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). An FIR has been registered under sections 7, 12, 420, 120B and others of the IPC against 35 people under coal levy scam and 70 people under liquor scam," Pandey said.
Read more
