ED attaches Suryakant Tiwari’s property worth Rs 50 cr

Raipur (Team Newsbuddy): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the property of Congress leader Suryakant Tiwari, who is in jail in the coal levy recovery and money laundering scam. Tiwari’s property worth about Rs 50 crore has been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002. The ED said that on January 30, more than 100 movable and immovable properties, including bank balances, vehicles, cash, jewelry and land, have a total value of Rs 49.73 crore.

According to the ED, Tiwari and his associates had illegally extorted money from coal transporters in Chhattisgarh. The investigation revealed that a private group in connivance with senior politicians and bureaucrats of the state had extorted Rs 26 per tonne of coal between 2020 and 2022, resulting in illegal income of Rs 540 crore.

Electoral use of illegal money
The ED said that this money was used to bribe government officials and politicians as well as in elections. Apart from this, this money was also used to acquire various properties.

Other accused and properties
The ED has also attached properties worth Rs 55.37 crore belonging to relatives of former Chief Minister’s OSD Saumya Chaurasia and several other politicians and officials. These properties include IAS officers Ranu Sahu, Sameer Bishnoi and others. So far, the ED has seized properties worth Rs 270 crore and arrested 11 people. Further investigation is underway.