Special CBI court sends RJD MP Amarendra Dhari Singh to 10-day ED remand

By Sushil Batra
New Delhi [India], June 3 : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Thursday sent Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Amrendra Dhar Singh to 10-day remand of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Singh was booked by the ED on the charges of money laundering in connection with an alleged fertiliser subsidy scam.
The ED arrested Singh on Wednesday in a case that pertains to an alleged fertiliser scam linked to the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) and India Potash Limited (IPL), in which the CBI had registered a corruption case last month.
Special Judge Digvijay Singh, while granting 10-day remand of the accused Amrendra Dhari Singh to the ED said, "The accused be also got medically examined from a competent doctor every 48 hours and in case any medical help is required the same be provided to the accused immediately. It goes without saying that the investigating agency shall ensure COVID-19 safety protocols while the accused is in its custody."
Advocate Sidharth Aggarwal and Advocate Madhav Khurana appeared for the accused challenged the very legality of the arrest. They also argued that he is a sitting Member of Parliament and deserves to be kept in custody at an appropriate place. They stated that on Wednesday night he was kept in the lockup of the Police Station with other criminals and he does not deserve such treatment.
To this, the Court said, "the request of the Counsel for the accused to keep the accused in the house arrest cannot be accepted merely because the accused is a Member of Parliament and is suffering from ailments. The purpose of remand is that the investigating agency is able to interrogate the accused and the accused can be confronted with voluminous records in the office of ED."
"Fair investigation may get hampered in the case accused is kept in house custody and therefore it would be appropriate that ED shall make arrangement to keep the accused in the office of ED itself at an appropriate place," the Court added.
According to the ED, Singh is stated to be the senior vice president of a firm involved in the case, identified as Jyoti Trading Corporation. He has been involved in the export and import of fertilisers since the 90s. He imports fertilisers for private companies and exporting them to the Middle East and other countries, the ED said.
Advocate Amit Mahajan, Standing Counsel for Central government, and Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana of the ED stated that the money was paid through hawala operators and intermediaries.
"Group companies of co-accused Rajeev Saxena, who is an accused in Augusta Westland Case also, were used for receipt of commission from supplier of fertilisers and other products to IFFCO and IPL," the ED Lawyers said.
"During the commission of the crime, sham consultancy agreements were made as also fake invoices for consultancy services, without providing any such services and thus commission was received from group companies of Rajeev Saxena without any genuine transaction and that money was actually illegal commission generated out of import of fertilisers and raw material," ED Lawyers added.
The ED further said that the accused acted as an intermediary along with other accused for channelising the ill-gotten money through different firms and companies.
"In this manner, Rs 685 Crores approximately were received in the bank accounts of the group companies and individual account of Rajeev Saxena and other accused including the present accused AD Singh," the ED added.