Enforcement Directorate Gives a Clean Chit to Avighna Developers in
Money Laundering Case
It was in November 2016 that a so-called activist had filed a baseless complaint against Avighna Developers regarding money laundering in one of the prestigious projects. Now in 2019, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has given a clean chit to the developer, after conducting the necessary preliminary inquiry. The inquiry revealed that the allegations were false and the complainant had vested interests to extort money from the developer.
The ED has confirmed that there is no pending proceeding and FIR in the case now.
What Were the Baseless Allegations Against the Avighna Group?
Two years back, when the ED was investigating the claims of the complainant whose allegations were against a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a leading developer in Mumbai in money laundering case, the media covered the buzz vastly. But it turned out that the allegations were a part of smear campaign and intended to target the reputation of the developer.
The complainant was set to mar the reputation of the developer, but in due course of investigation, a final closure came from the ED and now the Avighna Management can been cleared off the false complaints. The smear campaign targeted the developer by making claims that the former CM had directed his funds into a luxury housing project in Parel by Avighna Group, through offshore routes.
To intensify the false allegations, the complainant had gone a step further and roped in Kirit Somaiya, a BJP MP, against his then political rival. But when Somaiya was contacted by media personnel, he opined that it is his responsibility as a people’s representative to bring an issue to the notice of judiciary and investigating officials. He also said that after doing so, he has not followed up on the case.
ED Confirms that No Further Proceedings Will Take Place
The unfounded claims had caused a great collateral damage to the reputation of Avighna Group. But the ED has confirmed after the preliminary inquiry that there was no substance in the accusations and not any element or proof has been found to support the allegations of the complainant. After the allegations in 2019, the Avighna Group had approached the officials of Enforcement Directorate and submitted relevant papers.
Mr. Kailash Agarwal, the Chairman of Avighna Group said that the ED had accepted their submissions and ceased the investigations, as the proof was satisfactory, bringing a logical closure to the matter. He also added that no politician ever had invested a single rupee in the group. Their books clearly proved the point. He was also at the receiving end of the malicious interest of blackmailers since years.
These blackmailers were using the legal machinery simply to harass the group for years together now. Their objective was to extract funds. He said that as Mumbai’s one of the most successful developers, they had always followed the law of the land and have taken a legally appropriate path towards the complainants, and have been honoured with justice by the ED.
