"He exposed corruption": Bhupesh Baghel a day after ED arrested Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma in liquor 'scam'

New Delhi [India], January 16 (ANI): A day after ED arrested former Chhattisgarh Excise Minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma in an alleged liquor scam, Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel stated that the probe agency could not even recover even a penny from the latter's house.
He also claimed that Lakhma exposed corruption in a project which was approved without the sanction of the particular department.
Baghel, the former chief minister told reporters," In 2022, the ED took action against Kawasi Lakhma. After 3 years, he was arrested. During an assembly session on December 20th, Kawasi Lakhma raised questions about corruption in his constituency... He exposed corruption involving the Public Works Department project during the code of conduct."
He questioned why Lakhma's house was raided when the probe agency should have gone after the accused.
"The project began without budget approval, departmental sanction, or tender opened on the day of questioning... Instead of taking action against those guilty, the government raided Lakhma's house and his family, finding neither money nor documents...," he mentioned.
The liquor scam is said to be around Rs 2161 crore.
Lakhma is accused of receiving a substantial amount in cash on a monthly basis out of proceeds of crime generated from the alleged liquor scam. He is the sixth person arrested in this case.
As per the agency, Lakhma was the main recipient of proceeds of crime in cash during his regime as excise minister.ED investigation into the liquor scam, which ran between 2019 to 2022, revealed that proceeds of crime were generated as illegal commission which was generated in multiple ways.
The agency has claimed that bribe was collected from the distillers per 'case' of liquor procured from them by the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), a state body for the purchase and sale of liquor.
Sale of unaccounted "kacha off-the-books" country liquor was another way to generate illegal money, the agency had said earlier, adding "In this case, not even a single rupee reached the State Exchequer, and all the sale proceeds were pocketed by the syndicate. The illegal liquor was sold from state-run shops only."
"Bribes taken from distillers to allow them to make a cartel and have fixed market share, and holders who were introduced to earn in foreign liquor segment also," the ED had informed.
The ED Raipur unit in December last year had also conducted search operations at seven premises situated in Raipur, Dhamtari and Sukma districts of Chhattisgarh under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the liquor scam case. In the search operation conducted on December 28, ED raided the residential premises of Kawasi Lakhma, a six-time Congress MLA. The searches were also conducted at the residential premises of his son Harish Lakhma and their close associates.
As a result of the search operation, ED had said, it gathered evidence allegedly pertaining to the utilization of proceeds of crime in cash by Kawasi Lakhma during the relevant period of the scam.
Further, the search also led to the recovery and seizure of multiple digital devices believed to be containing incriminating records.
ED investigation had earlier revealed that the liquor syndicate, allegedly comprising Anwar Dhebar, Anil Tuteja and others, was operating in Chhattisgarh.
In this case, one attachment order attaching properties worth Rs 205 crore has already been issued. A Prosecution Complaint along with two supplementary chargesheets has already been filed wherein cognizance was taken by the special PMLA court in Raipur. (ANI)