ED chief in Bengaluru: Key development after raids on Satish Jarkiholi

Bengaluru: A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the residences and offices of Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi over allegations of investments worth crores of rupees abroad, ED Director Rahul Navin and three other senior officials have arrived in Karnataka.

Rahul Navin and his team arrived at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Saturday evening.

They visited the ED office in Jalahalli and later left for an undisclosed location.

The team is expected to stay in Bengaluru for two days. According to sources, the officials will hold detailed discussions with ED officials in the Bengaluru zone on the Satish Jarkiholi case as well as other high-profile cases registered in the state, including the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Valmiki Development Corporation scams.

The team will also conduct a review meeting on the progress of each case, including developments so far, the stage of court proceedings and the conviction rate, sources said.

Case under PMLA?

During the two-day raids on the houses and offices of Minister Satish Jarkiholi, his family members and close associates, ED officials reportedly found documents related to investments worth crores of rupees abroad.

Based on the preliminary investigation, the money is suspected to have been invested illegally, according to sources. The ED is therefore moving towards registering a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is collecting supporting documents.

The officials have already registered a case under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). It has also been learnt that the ED has registered a case under the PMLA and begun an investigation.

ED may complain to Lokayukta, CBI

During the raids, the ED reportedly found documents related to alleged kickbacks in multi-crore tenders of the Public Works Department.

Documents reportedly showed that kickbacks were received from BVEPL, and the ED's preliminary investigation has found that not only Satish Jarkiholi but also senior officials of the department allegedly received a share, according to sources.

In view of this, the ED is likely to write to the Lokayukta and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), mentioning the names and designations of Minister Satish Jarkiholi and some officials, sources said.