ED files fresh chargesheet against Baghel’s son in liquor scam

 

 

 

THE Enforcement Directorate on Monday filed a fresh prosecution complaint in a multi-crore ‘liquor scam’ in Chhattisgarh in a court and alleged Chaitanya, son of Congress leader and former CM Bhupesh Baghel, “handled” over Rs 1,000 crore worth of “proceeds of crime”. The 7,039-page supplementary prosecution complaint (chargesheet) was filed in the court of 6th district and additional sessions judge Damarudhar Chouhan in Raipur naming Chaitanya Baghel, a businessman, as an accused. The alleged Rs 2,100-crore liquor scam took place when a Congress Government headed by Bhupesh Baghel was in office in the State (2018-23).

 

The prosecution complaint was filed before the special court, in which Chaitnaya Baghel was named as an accused, ED counsel Saurabh Kumar Pande told PTI. This was the fourth prosecution complaint filed by the economic intelligence agency in the case. “A hard disc containing digital evidence and other proofs were submitted along with the prosecution complaint,” he informed. Chaitanya Baghel “handled” more than Rs 1,000 crore worth of “proceeds of crime” generated from a liquor “scam” in the State and used proceeds of crime for development of his business ventures, Pande alleged.

 

The ED has found “solid” evidence about the use of proceeds of crime worth Rs 22 crore allegedly by him, the counsel noted. Chaitanya Baghel was arrested by the central agency on July 18 following a search at his house which he shares with his father in Bhilai town of Durg district. Of the proceeds of crime handled by him, the businessman used Rs 16.7 crore for development of his real estate project, the ED had claimed in a statement earlier. “Chaitanya was in receipt of proceeds of crime worth Rs 16.70 crore. He had used his real estate firms to intermingle the said funds. It was found that he had utilised the said cash amount (proceeds of crime) in development of his real estate project,” it said.