Enforcement directorate files supplementary prosecution complaint against firms
Nov 25, 2020
New Delhi [India], November 25 : Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a Supplementary Prosecution Complaint under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) before the Special Judge (PMLA), Ranchi against M/s Classic Coal Construction Private Ltd, M/s Classic Multiplex Private Ltd and their directors namely Dilip Kumar Singh and Kumar Pranav in a case of bitumen scam in Jharkhand.
The prosecution complaint has been filed before the Court with a prayer for the confiscation of attached properties totalling Rs 1.83 crore apart from awarding punishment to the accused persons. The attached assets include three immovable properties in the form of commercial property and residential property, both at Ranchi and a plot in Ramgarh, held in the name of M/s Classic Coal Construction Pvt, Ltd., M/s Classic Multiplex Private Ltd and the erstwhile Managing Director of the Company, late Pawan Kumar Singh, according to an official release.
ED initiated investigations under PMLA on the basis of four FIRs and charge sheets filed by ACB, CBI, Ranchi under sections 120B, 420, 468, 471 of IPC, 1860 and section 13 (2) r/w 13(1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against M/s Classic Coal Constructions Pvt. Ltd. and its directors Pawan Kumar Singh, Dilip Kumar Singh, 22 Engineers of RCD Department, Government of Jharkhand and two others.
Ignoring the mandate to procure bitumen from the Govt. undertaking oil companies viz. HPCL, IOCL, BPCL, etc., the directors of the company submitted 492 fake/forged invoices pertaining to HPCL, Ramnagar, West Bengal, to the RCD Dept. showing procurement of 4,630 MT of bitumen for road works and got payment in connivance with the departmental engineers on strength of these fake/forged bills to the tune of Rs 6.88 crore.
Investigation under PMLA revealed that this ill-gotten money was used to create assets and to meet miscellaneous expenditure pertaining to the company and its directors. After identification of proceeds of crime, two Provisional Attachment Orders attaching assets worth Rs 2.08 crores and 1.83 crores were issued. Earlier a prosecution complaint was filed and now this supplementary complaint has been filed before the Hon'ble Special Judge under (PMLA), Ranchi for conducting trial against accused.
Further investigation is underway.