Jalandhar/Mohali, July 13: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday submitted its fifth chargesheet naming 12 persons, including former Akali minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, his son Damanvir Phillaur and former Akali CPS Avinash Chander, in the Bhola drug case.
The 211-page charge sheet was submitted by ED’s special public prosecutor Jagjit Singh Sarao, who was accompanied by the ED Deputy Director Niranjan Singh, in the special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Mohali on Wednesday.
Among others who have been named in the charges heet are Amritsar-based businessman Jagjit Singh Chahal, who had been arrested and taken into remand by the ED officials in May for two days after laying a trap in Mohali, Chahal’s brother Paramjit Singh Chahal and his wife Inderjit Kaur. While Jagjit Chahal is currently lodged in Central Jail, Patiala, his brother has been held in New Jail Nabha.
Bhiwani-based four family members — Sushil Kumar Sardana, his wife Kailash Sardana, son Sachin Sardana and daughter-in-law Rashmi Sardana — too have been named. Sardanas run a pharma company in Delhi. The remaining two who have been chargesheeted are Una-based Devinder Kant Sharma and Shahkot-based Canadian NRI Jaswinder Singh.
The zonal office of the ED in Jalandhar has also listed eight companies in the charge sheet, which were reportedly used for siphoning off the ill-gotten money.
These include seven firms owned by Chahal brothers, including Chahal Tyre World, Amritsar; New Piyar Roadways, Amritsar; MBP Pharmaceuticals, Solan; Tulip Formulations, Kangra; Chahal Tyres, Jalandhar; Chahal Retreats, Amritsar; Montek Bio Pharma, Baddi; and Navroz Pharmaceuticals, owned by Sachin Sardana in Delhi.
The chargesheet was submitted along with 8,357 related documents. Sarao said this was the sixth charge sheet in the case as they had already presented one charge sheet against Jagdish Singh Bhola and four supplementary charge sheets against other accused.
Sarao claimed that the accused were involved in money laundering and purchasing of properties with drug money. He said Avinash Chander had taken Rs 45 lakh from Chunni Lal Gabba, another accused in the case against whom the ED had already filed a supplementary charge sheet. The court has fixed July 25 as the next date of hearing.
This is for the first time that the political leaders have been named in the charge sheet. Earlier, the ED had attached the properties of Avinash and Phillaur father-son duo in the case.
News Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
