Money laundering probe: NCP MLA Rohit Pawar appears before ED

Mumbai: NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, the grand nephew of party supremo Sharad Pawar, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here on Wednesday for questioning in connection with its money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, an official said.

NCP MP Supriya Sule and other party leaders accompanied the 38-year-old legislator till the entrance of the probe agency's office.

The MLA reached the ED office located at Ballard Estate in South Mumbai at around 10.30 am.

Before going to the probe agency's office office, Rohit Pawar went to the NCP office's located nearby and met Sharad Pawar, touched his feet, and also interacted with other party leaders.

He also visited the Vidhan Bhavan and paid tributes at the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and a plaque of the Indian Constitution.

Before Rohit Pawar entered the ED office, Sule handed him over a copy of the Indian Constitution.

She hugged him and he touched her feet before entering the probe agency's office.

Hundreds of NCP workers, who have come here from across the state, gathered at the party office in South Mumbai. They raised slogans in support of Rohit Pawar and staged a protest against the ED.

While entering the NCP office, Rohit Pawar told reporters that he has cooperated with the agencies earlier in the probe and will do so in future also.

"The officers are doing their job, whatever documents they have demanded, we have given to them. I will appear before them and whatever information they are asking I will give them," the NCP MLA from Karjat Jamkhed said.

The Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank money laundering case stems from an August 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing.

The ED conducted searches on January 5 on the of Baramati Agro, a company owned by Rohit Pawar, and some linked entities on in Baramati, Pune, Aurangabad and some other locations.

The case was filed after the Bombay High Court issued an order to investigate the allegations of selling sugar factories in the Maharashtra cooperative sector through alleged fraudulent means and also that they were sold at throwaway prices.