Charges that led to the arrest of Satyendar Jain

New Delhi: Satyendar Jain, 57, the minister for health, industries, power, home, urban development and water in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on the charges of money laundering.

The ED had last month provisionally attached the assets worth Rs 4.81 crore of Jain's family and companies "beneficially owned and controlled" by him.

In a statement issued then, the ED had said it issued a provisional order under the PMLA to "attach immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd., Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd., Manglayatan Projects Pvt. Ltd., J.J. Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd., Swati Jain, wife of Vaibhav Jain, Sushila Jain, wife of Ajit Prasad Jain, and Indu Jain, wife of Sunil Jain." 

Jain was health minister in the first Kejriwal government that lasted two and a half months between December 13, 2014, and February 14, 2014.

He was given the health, industries, power, home, urban development and water portfolios again when Aam Aadmi Party returned to power with a majority in February 2015.

The probe found that "during the period 2015-16, when Satyendar Kumar Jain was a public servant, the companies beneficially owned and controlled by him received accommodation entries to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from shell (paper) companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the hawala route." 

"These amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land or for repayment of loan taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi," the ED said.

The named persons in the attachment order are associates and family members of Jain, officials said.

The money laundering case against the AAP minister stems from an August 2017 FIR filed by the CBI against him and others on charges of alleged possession of disproportionate assets.

The income tax department too had probed these transactions and had issued an order attaching "benami assets" allegedly linked to Jain.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said in February that he had learnt from sources that the ED was going to arrest Jain just before the Punjab assembly elections and accused the Centre of targeting the AAP after realising the BJP "would lose" the polls.

Last week, two-month-old AAP’s Punjab government sacked its Health Minister Vijay Singla from the state Cabinet over graft charges. Singla was arrested shortly afterwards. He was accused of demanding 1% commission in government contracts.