Bengaluru, Dec 4: The Enforcement Directorate officials probing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to the police chief of Karnataka Lokayukta apprising them of the former’s probe details into the MUDA irregularities and the money laundering charges levelled against the accused persons in the MUDA scam – conveying that a total of 1095 sites having a market Value of more than Rs. 700 Crores have been illegally allotted to beneficiaries in Karnataka.
In its letter the Lokayukta police chief, the ED officials stated that these 1095 plots, having a guideline value of Rs. 490 crores – have been allotted in the name of Benami/dummy persons in the guise of land losers and that the actual beneficiaries of these land were real estate businessmen and influential persons.
This development comes a day before the petition filed by the Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah – challenging the Karnataka’s High Court Order that upheld the Karntaka’s Governor’s sanction for prosecution against Siddaramaiah – which is coming up for hearing on December 5th.
The MUDA scam where Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family members have been accused of usurping 14 high-valued plots in Mysuru’s prime location continues to be a thorn in the flesh for the mass leader even as the Lokayukta is continuing its probe into the irregularities and also after the CM’s wife BM Parvathi returned back the controversial 14 sites to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
In its letter to the Lokayukta, the ED officials also highlighted that their findings into the ECIR probe revealed that not only that the lands were illegally notified, they were illegally converted for residential purposes. And with this, the gifting of the land to the CM’s wife Parvathi and the allotment of sites against land also becomes illegal, the letter noted.
Further on, the illegal allotment of sites has been made for money, immovable properties, vehicles etc., especially by one GT Dinesh Kumar who was a former commissioner of MUDA. These illegal sites have been obtained by influential people and real estate businessmen who further sold these proceeds of crime to other unsuspecting customers. And the money received from selling of these proceeds of crime is being projected untainted as commission and/or profit from real estate business or the same are being parked in the name of Benami/relatives, the ED’s letter stated.
Reacting to these developments, Home Minister G Parameshwara and the IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge addressing a press conference in Bengaluru stated that the Enforcement Directorate has become Enslaved Directorate of the Centre that is working as a puppet of Union government targeting the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the State. Kharge also questioned as to what jurisdiction does the Enforcement Directorate have to get itself involved in land denotification cases and it was all politically motivated.
