The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted fresh searches at about four to five premises in the national capital as part of a money laundering probe against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan. The investigation is linked to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of staff for the Delhi Waqf Board. These searches are being carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
This action follows earlier raids conducted by the ED in October at the premises of the 49-year-old legislator who represents the Okhla constituency in the Delhi assembly. In November, the agency arrested three of his alleged associates in connection with this case.
The ED had alleged that Khan gained "huge proceeds of crime" in cash through the illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board. He was accused of investing these proceeds in purchasing immovable assets in the name of his associates. The searches in October were related to the illegal recruitment of staff and the leasing out of Waqf Board properties for personal gains during Khan's chairmanship of the board from 2018 to 2022.
The ED stated that a CBI FIR and three Delhi Police complaints were the basis for its action against the AAP MLA. The agency claimed that Khan acquired significant proceeds of crime through these activities and invested the cash amount in buying various immovable properties in Delhi in the names of his associates.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has alleged a campaign to undermine the AAP, asserting that false cases are being filed against party leaders in an attempt to discredit them.
(With Agency Inputs)
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