Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had in January predicted that Satyendar Jain would be arrested. On Monday, the CBI held the Delhi health minister in a money laundering case
Satyendar Jain, 57, is the minister for health, industries, power, home, urban development and water in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi. PTI
A new chapter was added to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) vs Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tussle after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in an ongoing money laundering case.
Jain, 57, is the minister for health, industries, power, home, urban development and water in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government.
Shortly after Jain’s arrest — based on a CBI FIR where he was accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him — a war of words broke out between the two parties, with Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia saying Jain had been arrested in an eight-year-old “fake” case as he is the AAP’s in-charge for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections and the BJP is afraid of losing the polls.
On the other hand, the BJP claimed the ED had collected evidence before arresting Jain and Kejriwal should now take moral responsibility and resign.
As the mudslinging continues, here’s a refresher in the case against Health Minister Satyendar Jain and what happens next to the 57-year old?
Case against Jain
Jain’s arrest comes on the heels of an investigation that goes back to 2015-2016; the ED has alleged that Satyendar Jain was involved in hawala transactions with a Kolkata-based firm.
According to sources speaking to The Print, the investigation revealed that in 2015-16, when Jain was working in the central public works department, four firms “beneficially owned and controlled by him” received “accommodation entries (a term used for hawala transfers) to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through hawala route”.
As their probe continued in the matter, the ED in April provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to five shell companies — Akinchan Developers, Indo Metalimpex, Paryas Infosolutions, Manglayatan Projects Pvt Ltd, Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd — all of which were in the names of Jain’s relatives, namely, Swati Jain, Sushila Jain and Indu Jain.
The investigating authorities alleged that Jain had control over these companies, either as director or by holding one-third of the shares of the firm. Moreover, they alleged that these firms were shell companies used to park money.
The CBI had also said that before becoming a public servant, Jain was allegedly involved in laundering Rs 11.78 crore during 2010-2012 through these companies as well as others in New Delhi.
War of words
The arrest sparked a fresh war between Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP and the BJP, with the former calling the case ‘fake’.
AAP minister Sanjay Singh held a press conference shortly after Jain’s arrest, alleging that the BJP had planned a “fake” arrest of the Delhi health minister since the CBI had already given Jain a clean chit in the eight-year-old case.
As per news agency ANI, Sanjay Singh said, “Satyendar Jain has been arrested in a fake case, an eight-year-old case in connection with which he appeared before ED seven times. CBI had given a clean chit to him. BJP could not fathom that Jain was made Himachal Pradesh in-charge, so they hatched this fake arrest.”
During the press conference, Singh further talked about the case against Satyendar Jain, “This case highlights the misuse of probe agencies… Soon he (Satyendar Jain) will be out as it’s a baseless case… BJP is losing Himachal Pradesh polls.”
In fact, Arvind Kejriwal, in January, had said that he had come to know that Jain may be arrested by the ED ahead of the Punjab Assembly election.
“We have come to know from our sources that Satyendar Jain is going to be arrested before the Punjab elections,” he had claimed.
On the other hand, the BJP welcomed Jain’s arrest and asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to remove him from his Cabinet.
“The central government conducted raids on Jain twice before, but nothing was found. If the ED wants to come again, they are most welcome,” Kejriwal had said, as per ANI.
Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said his party had raised the issue of “corruption” by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders in the past.
“Kejriwal always kept mum on corruption charges against his party leaders. The arrest of Jain by the ED has come days after an AAP minister was arrested and sacked in Punjab people want Kejriwal to speak about it,” Gupta said.
The AAP convener always talks about honesty, but now people want to know when he will remove Jain from his Cabinet, Gupta said.
Northeast Delhi MP and former Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari claimed the ED had collected evidence before arresting Jain and Kejriwal should now take moral responsibility and resign.
“All leaders of AAP are defending Jain after his arrest but Kejriwal himself should resign taking responsibility for Jain’s actions,” Tiwari said.
What next for Satyendar Jain?
While the BJP and AAP continue their war of words, Jain will now be produced before the Rouse Avenue Court at 2 pm.
India Today reported that the ED will have to justify Jain’s arrest, as he was arrested when he went to the ED office for questioning.
With inputs from agencies
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