ED files final prosecution complaint in Chhattisgarh liquor 'scam'; 59 more named as accused

Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed a final prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor scam case in Chhattisgarh, naming 59 persons, taking the total number of accused in the money laundering case to 81.

The final prosecution complaint was filed before the PMLA court here complying with the directions of the Supreme Court, the ED's counsel Saurabh Kumar Pande told PTI.

Earlier, 22 persons were named accused in the case and several of them were arrested. After completing the investigation related to those accused, prosecution complaints were filed against them in the past, he said.

The final prosecution complaint has now been filed against 59 more persons against whom investigation has been completed, Pande said.

The 59 include then deputy secretary at Chief Minister's office Soumya Chaurasia, former IAS officer Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, distributors and excise department officials, he said.

The prosecution complaint summary runs into 315 pages with documents of around 29,800 pages. The material includes direct evidence obtained through banking channels, documents showing attempts at money laundering, backdoor and purpose-driven entries, as well as digital evidence such as communication records, he said.

Then commissioner of state excise department Niranjan Das allegedly facilitated the smooth operation of the liquor scam and ensured no punitive action was taken anywhere, allowing the scam to continue unhindered, he said.

Pande said the total proceeds of crime involved in the case are estimated to be around Rs 3,000 crore.

The liquor "scam" in the state, according to the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government. The alleged scam resulted in a "massive loss" to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate, it said.

The ED arrested Congress MLA and former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma in January this year and Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, in July in connection with the alleged liquor scam.

The ED claimed Lakhma was the main recipient of proceeds of crime, while Chaitanya Baghel played a key role in handling nearly Rs 1,000 crore generated by the syndicate.

Businessman Anwar Dhebar (brother of Congress leader and former Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar), former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others were arrested by the ED in the case in the past.

The state's Economic Offence Wing/ Anti Corruption Bureau has also registered an FIR in the alleged scam and is probing the corruption angle.

On December 22, the EOW/ACB had filed its seventh supplementary chargesheet in the multi-crore liquor scam against Chaitanya Baghel.

It said evidence indicates that Chaitanya Baghel, along with managing the proceeds of crime at a higher level, received around Rs 200-250 crore as his share.

The ongoing investigation into the scam suggests the proceeds of crime generated out of the alleged scam could exceed Rs 3500 crore, the EOW/ACB had claimed.