The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday raided the office of NCP leader Hasan Mushrif’s business partner in connection with the Kolhapur Sugar Mill Case.
The central investigation agency raided nine locations throughout the city, beginning early in the morning. Raids were conducted in areas such as Hadapsarla, Ganesh Peth, Prabhat Road, Sinhgad Road, and others.
In January of this year, the ED raided Mushrif’s residence and workplace in Pune and Kolhapur.
“A BJP worker told my aide that there would be an (ED) raid at my house. That is precisely what happened. A BJP leader went to Delhi several times and boasted of some action against me,” Mushrif claimed.
According to the former Maharashtra minister, “people of a particular community are being targeted- first Nawab Malik, then Aslam Sheikh, and now me.”
“The income-tax department conducted a raid on the sugar mill corruption a year and a half ago, during which I cooperated fully with the central agencies. I have no idea why they raided me again,” he further added.
Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court last month Court protected the NCP leader Hasan Mushrif from coercive action in the FIR against him in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a cooperative sugar mill till further orders.
The matter will be heard next on 24th April, 2023.
The money laundering case is linked to a probe related to alleged irregularities in the operations of some sugar mills based in the state that are connected to Mushrif, including the Sar Senapati Santaji Ghorpade Sugar Factory Ltd to which his three sons are linked.
Mushrif is a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from the Kagal seat in Kolhapur. He is also the vice president of the party headed by Sharad Pawar. BJP leader Kirit Somiaya who has been pursuing the matter against Mushrif for a long time, claimed that the sugar factory had received crores of rupees from certain defunct entities. M/s Rajat Consumer Services Pvt Ltd, owned by Mushrif family is one of the shareholders of the factory.
