ED questions NCP chief Jayant Patil's brother in fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently questioned the brother of Jayant Patil, the former Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party’s (Sharad Pawar’s faction) state president, in connection with a money-laundering investigation involving a private firm. The agency had served summons to Patil’s brother, who is a hotelier, and thereafter took details on the firm from him after the latter appeared before its investigating team a few days back, sources said.

Patil on Sunday, while talking to mediapersons, confirmed that the agency had served a notice to his brother. He added that four days ago, his brother had visited the ED office and submitted all the details he knew of in connection with the firm that is under the probe’s scanner. The agency has taken several individuals and including those with political links, under its scanner in connection with two of its probes: one pertains to alleged irregularities linked to Sangli’s Rajarambapu Sahakari Bank Limited, a cooperative bank, while the other is connected to alleged financial irregularities at the debt-hit Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), sources said.

Earlier on May 22, Patil was questioned at the ED’s office in Mumbai for over eight hours to record his statement as part of its IL&FS investigation. The ED was verifying if Patil was allegedly a beneficiary, via his associate/s, of some proceeds of crime in the case, but he had dismissed all the allegations against him and said he had no links with the IL&FS case whatsoever.After his questioning, Patil had told the media, “No payment came to my account, nor any payment went to anyone from my account. These are false allegations. I have replied to all the questions of the ED to their satisfaction. I was not asked about any payment from any subcontractor. I have no links with IL & FS at all.”