Bhubaneswar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed prosecution complaint against Odisha’s mines owner Jitendra Nath Patnaik (Jitu Patnaik) in court in money laundering case.
The ED, in a tweet on Tuesday, said the prosecution complaint under PMLA, 2002 has been filed against Jitendra Nath Patnaik and BD Patnaik (partnership firm) in the Court of Sessions Judge, Khurda at Bhubaneswar–cum– Special Court (PMLA), Bhubaneswar.
The ED has petitioned the court for punishment of the accused persons for offence of money laundering and also for confiscation of the proceeds of the crime worth Rs 133.87 crore. The Special Court, PMLA, Bhubaneswar has taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint filed on October 31, the tweet stated.
The ED had registered the case on the basis of the FIR filed by Balasore Vigilance, Odisha Police, and subsequent chargesheet filed by the Vigilance Cell Police Station, Cuttack against Patnaik and 14 public servants in connection with alleged illegal mining.
“The ED probe revealed that Patnaik, a partner in BD Patnaik, was involved in illegal mining without having valid mining lease from Odisha government and necessary clearances from Ministry of Environment and Forest which caused a loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs 130.39 crore from 1989 to 2009. He utilised the illegally generated proceeds into his other businesses and enriched himself and his family members,” the ED said in a statement.
The ED officials had conducted raids on four premises of Patnaik on May 11 last year. The raids on the miner’s two premises at Joda in Keonjhar district and two properties in Bhubaneswar led to seizure of fixed deposits of Rs 133.17 crore and Rs 70.01 lakh in cash.
Following this, the Adjudicating Authority, PMLA, New Delhi had allowed retention of the seized properties by the ED on November 1.
