Lottery scam: ED attaches assets worth Rs 119.6 cr of Santiago Martin

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 22 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets consisting of 61 flats, 82 open plots and six plots with buildings located in Coimbatore worth Rs 119.6 crore of 'lottery king' Santiago Martin and his associates in connection with a lottery scam case.
The ED had initiated investigation under the provisions of the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA) against Santiago Martin and his company -- Future Gaming Solutions (P) Ltd on the basis of charge sheet filed by CBI and ACB, Cochin for offences punishable under the Lotteries (Regulation) Act,1998 and Rules 3(5),4(5) of Lotteries (Regulation) Rules, 2010.
"Santiago Martin and others entered into a criminal conspiracy among them to violate the provisions of Lottery Regulation Act, 1998 and to obtain wrongful gain by cheating the Sikkim Government, the ED said.
"In furtherance of the same, an agreement contrary to the provisions of Lottery Regulations Act was dishonestly entered between Santiago Martin and officials of Sikkim Government by which Martin Lottery Agency Ltd could practically run the Sikkim state lottery and avoid the remittance of face value of the lottery tickets to the government as sales proceeds," the investigation agency stated.
"This was done so as to obtain wrongful gain to themselves by way of non-remittance of sale proceeds to the public account of Sikkim and avail the same by conducting the sale of Sikkim lottery tickets in Kerala," it further said.
The ED said that investigation revealed that Santiago Martin and his associates made illegal gain to the extent of Rs. 910.3 crores on account of inflating the prize-winning tickets claim for the period from April 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010.
"Santiago Martin invested this illegally gained money from his lottery business by investing into the purchase of immovable properties in the name of 40 companies which were used for laundering the proceeds of crime," the agency added.
The ED had earlier issued two provisional attachment orders attaching assets of worth Rs. 138.5 crore in the matter. (ANI)