Shiv Sena Uddhav faction leader Anil Parab moves Bombay High Court to quash Dapoli resort money laundering case

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Anil Parab has approached the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to a resort at Dapoli in Maharashtra..Senior Advocate Amit Desai appearing on behalf of Parab mentioned the plea before a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sharmila Deshmukh on Monday seeking urgent listing of the matter so protection against coercive action.The division bench agreed to list the plea tomorrow. .In March 2022, the income tax (IT) department had raided premises in several districts of Maharashtra linked to a regional transport officer who was allegedly close to Parab.During such raids, the investigators claimed that they discovered irregularities relating to the purchase of a land in Dapoli in 2017. The plot of land which was owned by Parab was purchased by one Sadanand Kadam in May 2017 who then built a resort on the property.The department alleged that ₹6 crores was spent on developing on the resort, and it was sold in 2020 for just for ₹11 crores. The cost of building the resort had not been accounted for by both Kadam and Parab, it had said.Subsequently, ED registered an ECIR for money laundering, following which it raided seven premises linked to Parab and his alleged close aides.It also summoned Parab for interrogation on several occasions in the previous year..The ED alleged that Parab purchased the land for consideration of ₹1.80 crore, out of which an amount of ₹80 lakh was paid in cash and the cash was handed over to the seller by Kadam on behalf of Parab.The agency also contended that the value of the land is around ₹2.74 crore, and the resort on the land was valued at ₹7.46 crore, generated through criminal activities. Kadam was remanded to ED custody till March 15, 2023. Apprehending arrest, Parab moved the High Court seeking quashing of the ECIR.He claimed that in 2020-21, on account of political rivalries, several false and frivolous complaints and proceedings came to be initiated against Parab in respect of the land.