Amid an investigation into a case of money laundering, former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday yet again failed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Instead, the former minister sent a two-page letter to the ED through his advocate Inderpal Singh and mentioned that he is sending his representative.
This is the fourth time that Deshmukh skipped the summons after the previous three times that ED asked him to come in for questioning in the money laundering case.
On Friday, the ED issued fresh summons to the NCP leader and his son Hrishikesh Deshmukh to appear before the probe agency's office in south Mumbai on Monday, but they skipped it.
The ED had summoned Anil Deshmukh under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as the agency wants to further record his statement in the case, sources earlier said.
The Supreme Court on Friday said it would hear on August 3 a plea filed by Anil Deshmukh seeking protection from any coercive action in the money laundering case lodged by the ED.
Anil Deshmukh had last month said he will appear before the ED to record his statement in the money laundering case after the Supreme Court's decision over his petition.
The ED's case against him and others was made out after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) first carried out a preliminary enquiry followed by a regular case being filed on the orders of the Bombay High Court.
The court had asked the CBI to look into the allegations of bribery made against Anil Deshmukh by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
Anil Deshmukh, who resigned from his post in April following the allegations, has denied any wrongdoing.
The ED had earlier arrested Anil Deshmukh's personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde after carrying out raids against them and the NCP leader in Mumbai and Nagpur.
The probe agency last month also attached assets worth Rs 4.20 crore of Anil Deshmukh and his family.
(With inputs from PTI)
