Madhu Koda

Ujjwal Choudhary to continue probe in Koda case

sitansu — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:38:57 +0530

Ordering status quo, the Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday directed the Income Tax department that its transferred senior official Ujjwal Choudhary will remain in his previous post and continue to probe the Madhu Koda case.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra and Justice R R Prasad, while hearing a PIL observed that Choudhary, Director (Income Tax-Investigation), should remain in Ranchi Circle in the same post.

Shortly after the court order, Choudhary said, "I will continue to work to the best of my ability."

The PIL filed by social activist Durga Oraon sought status quo in the case of Choudhary who was transfered on February 19 when he was in Chaibasa during countrywide raids at 70 places in connection with the RS 2000 crore money laundering charges against the former Jharkhand chief minister and some others.

Oraon pleaded that Choudhary's transfer might affect the investigations into the scam and that he be allowed to continue in his previous posting till the probe was over.

In all, Choudhary had overseen raids on 140 premises across the country, including that of Koda and his close associate Binod Sinha and Sanjay Choudhary.

Investment papers worth Rs 50 crore found from Soren's secretary

tejas — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:42:07 +0530

The Income Tax department today said it has found documents of investments to the tune of Rs 50 crore during raids at the house of private secretary of Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren.

The IT department during ongoing searches at the house of Manohar Lal Pal, yielded the documents of investments relating to property and business.

"As of now, we have got documents worth over Rs 50 crore, related to both business and property. We will make an assessment to make him pay income tax on these properties," a top IT official told PTI over phone.

"The raids relate to the October 31 raids," he said, adding searches at Pal's houses here and in Jamshedpur were going on.

The IT and the Enforcement Directorate had raided 70 premises across the country, including the ones of ex-chief minister Mahdu Koda, on October 31 and stumbled upon alleged illegal investments and hawala transactions to the tune of Rs 2000 crore.

The official, who is supervising the countrywide raids that started on Tuesday in 60 to 70 premises, said the second wave of searches has been very successful in so far getting "evidence" in the multi-crore Koda scam.

Koda is now in judicial custody in connection with a state Vigilance Bureau case pending in a special Vigilance court.

Koda scam: More documents seized in IT raids

sitansu — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:09:22 +0530

Tightening the noose around former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, the Income Tax department on Wednesday launched a country-wide raid and seized documents that could throw more evidence than those found in the first round of seizures in October.

"The raids were very successful and we got more evidence than the previous exercise when we got evidence of illegal investments and hawala transactions," a senior IT official monitoring the raids from Chaibasa told PTI over phone referring to the October 31 IT/ED raids which provided evidence of illegal investments and hawala transactions of Rs 2,000 crore.

In an early morning swoop on 60 to 70 premises in at least 13 cities across the country, separate IT teams raided the houses of Chief Minister Shibu Soren's close aide Manohar Lal Pal, he said.

"We have also raided the residences of a senior bureaucrat in the Jharkhand Mines Department, a retired IAS officer, who was the secretary of the Jharkhand Mines Department," the officers added.

Raids were also carried out at the premises of former members of Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB), industrialists and jewellery shops at Ranchi, Chaibasa, Jamshedpur and other places, he added.

"Lots of incriminating documents regarding illegal investments and hawala scam were found during the search," he added.

More chargesheets to be filed against Koda

wali — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:40:01 +0530

The Vigilance Department, which has filed a chargesheet against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda in a disproportionate asset case, will file supplementary chargsheets against him soon.

The department had on Thursday filed a chargsheet in a vigilance court here against Koda and former state minister Kamlesh Singh accusing them of amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.

As per the chargesheet, Koda and Singh have allegedly amassed assets to the tune of Rs 1.40 crore and Rs.1.75 crore respectively, which the department says are beyond their known source of income.

Vigilance officials charge that Koda's assets were 400 per cent more than his known sources of income and further investigations are likely.

A top vigilance official said the department will file additional chargesheet against Koda, who is currently lodged in the Birsa Munda jail.

"A major part of the investigations is yet to be completed. As and when, we complete one part, we will file more chargsheets against Koda and his aides," the official said.

Vigilance department sources said "indicting" evidence has been gathered so far which would be submitted to the court.

Koda was arrested on November 30 last in connection with the DA case and has since then been in jail.

The Bureau had already filed chargesheets against Koda's ex-cabinet colleagues, Enos Ekka and Harinarayan Rai in separate DA cases.

Koda is also booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and is been probed by the Income Tax department as well as the Enforcement Directorate in separate cases.

Koda gives statement, denies charges by ED

wali — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:39:06 +0530

Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who was grilled by the Enforcement Directorate here, has given a detailed written statement denying any involvement in the multi-crore illegal investments and hawala case registered against him.

According to jail sources, the Directorate had given to Koda a questionnaire of over 100 queries that it had prepared based on the investigations carried out by it over the last three months and the statement of Koda's aide Vikash Sinha.

They said the former chief minister, who is lodged in the Birsa Munda Central jail here, has given a 28-page statement to the ED and has denied his involvement in any wrong-doing.

The Directorate, which had sent a team from the national capital, questioned the current Lok Sabha member about his relations to other accused in the case like Vikash, Binod Sinha and Sanjay Choudhary.

While Koda accepted he knew all the three, he is said to have denied any knowledge of any of the financial transactions carried out by them. Sources said he also denied investing in a Mumbai-based bullion firm or having opened other front companies.

He, however, has accepted that he had taken many foreign trips, which he said was both work-related and private.

Sources said Koda, who was at times questioned for more than four hours at length, was at ease and even cracked jokes through the grilling.

"I have never been made to write so much while being the CM also," Koda is said to have told the Directorate officials while giving his statement.

Sources said the Directorate is likely to question him again in the near future.

Koda is currently under judicial custody after his arrest by Jharkhand vigilance department on November 30 in a disproportionate assets case.

Koda has been in and out of the hospital since the ED slapped the case against him and seven others on October 9 under Foreign Exchange Management Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

While the Directorate had earlier summoned him on various occasions, he has evaded it under various pleas even though he has been questioned by the Income Tax department which has also filed a case against him.

Binod and Sanjay, who are facing arrest warrants from Income Tax department and ED, have not turned up since the two agencies jointly raided 70 premises on October 31, including that of Koda, the Sinha brothers and Choudhary.