The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday attached assets worth Rs.24.5 crore belonging to a company owned by Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, in the coal block allocation case. According to the ED, AMR Iron & Steel director Manoj Jayaswal had paid Rs.24.6 crore to Asera Banka Power (ABP), owned by Mr. Vijay Darda and his son Devendra Darda, for exercising personal influence in facilitating allocation of the Bander coal block in Maharashtra.
The attached assets include shares of JAS Infrastructure & Power Limited (owned by Mr. Jayaswal) and Rs.33.78 lakh in fixed deposits held by ABP. The amount, allegedly routed to ABP through Kolkata-based companies, was utilised to purchase shares of JAS.
The company also allegedly concealed the fact that its group companies had earlier been allocated coal blocks.
