In his bail plea, Sanjay Raut had said that the case against him is a perfect example of “abuse of power” and “political vendetta”.
Mumbai: A few months after her was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was granted bail in an alleged money laundering case. The case pertains to the 1,034-crore Patra Chawl land scam.
A prime accused and Raut’s aide Pravin Raut has also been granted bail by a special court in Mumbai.
In his bail plea, Sanjay Raut had said that the case against him is a perfect example of “abuse of power” and “political vendetta”. Raut is currently lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, Raut had played a major role in the money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment. According to the agency, Sanjay Raut acted “behind the curtains” to avoid the money trail.
The Patra Chawl in Goregaon spreads across 47 acre and houses 672 tenant families. In 2008, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) assigned a contract for the redevelopment of the chawl to the Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited (GACPL) which is a sister company of the Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).
GACPL was supposed to build 672 flats for the tenants and MHADA. It was free to sell the remaining land to private developers. However, the tenants did not get a single flat in the last 14 years.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, its probe pertains to the alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl and related financial transactions involving Sanjay Raut’s wife and his associates.