ED orders freezing of accounts, attachment of properties

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) India's premier investigation
agency Enforcement Directorate(ED) on Tuesday ordered freezing
of bank accounts and attachment of immovable properties worth
Rs 223 crore of five companies in connection with the alleged
bribe of Rs 200 crore paid to Kalaignar TV in the 2G spectrum
allocation scam.
The value of properties attached of these companies are
Dynamix Realty (Rs 134 crore), Conwood Construction and
Developers (Rs 22 crore), Nihar Constructions (Rs 1.10 crore),
DB Realty (Rs 52 crore) and Eversmile Construction Company (Rs
13 crore).
When contacted, representatives of the construction
companies said they were awaiting the order.
ED has made the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI)
chargesheet in this regard as the basis for this order.
"As per the charge sheets of CBI, a bribe of Rs 200
crores was given by Swan Telecom Pvt. Ltd. (now M/s
Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt. Ltd.) to Kalaignar TV through a
number of intermediary companies in the garb of loan or share
application money. However, the same was returned to Dynamix
Realty (a company of Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka)," ED
officials alleged.
"The details of the charge sheet show disclosures made by
the intermediary companies in the movement of the bribe money
under the garb of loan or share application money do not
substantiate a genuine and bonafide financial transactions,"
they said.
The order has been issued on a probe report by
investigating officer of the case Rajeshwar Singh.
The companies can challenge the order before Delhi-based
appellate authority for Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA)
cases. The properties will be attached under the provisions of
the Prevention of Money Laundering Act(PMLA) and have been
termed as "proceeds of crime" under the Act, they said.
This is the first attachment order in 2G case and the
action is likely to be followed by the attachment of
properties of various telecom firms whose names figure in the
case including of Kalaignar TV, Kusegaon Fruits and Cineyug
Films.
The CBI chargesheet has alleged a bribe money of Rs 200
crore had been channelised from Shahid Usman Balwa's DB
Realty to DMK-run Kalaignar TV through a "circuitous route"
via Cineyug Films and Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd
for grant of licence to Balwa's Swan Telecom.
CBI, in its first charge sheet, has alleged Balwa, along
with other co-accused in the case, had entered into a
conspiracy for manipulating the procedure for allocation of
spectrum with the aim of favouring companies like Swan Telecom
and Unitech Group.
DMK MP Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar are
already in Tihar Jail in 2G case.