Surinder Mohan Arora, on whose public interest litigation petition the Bombay High Court last month directed the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police to probe the alleged ₹25,000 crore scam in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, has named NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
“Based on the police case, the Enforcement Directorate has initiated the money-laundering investigation and added Mr. Pawar’s name, after the EOW recorded the witness statement of Mr. Arora,” said an agency official.
On August 26, Mr. Arora recorded his latest statement. He alleged that loans were disbursed at the behest of Mr. Pawar “who exercise[d] absolute control over the affairs of the MSC [Maharashtra State Cooperative] and DCC [District Co-operative Central] Banks in Maharashtra and without whose prior approval no loans were sanctioned.”
Reiterating his allegations made in his complaint dated January 29, 2018, Mr. Arora said the directors of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank ruined the rural economy of the State and left the landless farmers and workmen associated with the co-operative structure to die by ensuring the collapse of co-operative units “for satisfying personal greed.”
The court directed registration of the case, after going through Mr. Arora’s previous complaint, reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General, NABARD and Joshi Nair and Associates, another enquiry under Section 83 of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, and a chargesheet filed under Section 88 of the Act, he said in the statement.
