Pankaj Bhujbal surrenders

Mumbai: A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Saturday released Pankaj Bhujbal, son of senior NCP leader and former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Chhagan Bhujbal, on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh after he surrendered before the court in connection with the money laundering case in which his father and cousin Samir are already in judicial custody.

Advocate Shalabh Saxena confirmed the development and said, “Pankaj surrendered before the court and the judge released him on bond with surety of Rs 2 lakh.” It may be recalled that Pankaj had moved Bombay high court seeking anticipatory bail in the matter. However in the last week of November 2016, Pankaj withdrew his pre-arrest bail plea with the HC’s permission after assuring it that he would surrender before the PMLA court.

Acting on this assurance, Pankaj on Saturday surrendered before the special court. Advocate Saxena said that the court released his client on bond as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) never arrested him during the investigation. The advocate added that Pankaj was attending court regularly since May last year. The ED on March 14, 2016 arrested Chhagan Bhujbal and subsequently also arrested his nephew Samir and both have been behind bars since their arrest. Both are presently lodged in Arthur Road Jail.

Apart from ED, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Mumbai police also registered a FIR against the Bhujbals for alleged irregularities in the contract for construction of Maharashtra Sadan, the state guest house in Delhi built at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Yet another FIR alleged that Bhujbal had received kickbacks for awarding contracts for the state central library on Kalina campus of Mumbai university.

The allegations:

• According to prosecution, Chhagan Bhujbal misused his powers as state PWD Minister and generated huge amount of money by illegal means
• In the construction of Maharashtra Sadan, contractors have earned 80 per cent profits, while as per the government circular such contractors are entitled to only 20 per cent gains. The books of accounts were fudged to show that the profit earned was only one per cent.
• The contractor firm had allegedly transferred money to companies in which Pankaj and Sameer were the directors
• Most of the companies floated by the Bhujbals are in the name of employees and used for siphoning off funds