Maharashtra: ED attachment of Baramati Agro assets politically motivated, says Rohit Pawar

Rohit Pawar. File Pic/X

Maharashtra MLA Rohit Pawar, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (Sharadchandra Pawar), on Saturday described the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attachment of assets of a sugar mill owned by his company Baramati Agro Limited as politically motivated, 'wrong' and 'illegal,' the PTI reported.

A total of 161.30 acres of land, plant, machinery and building of the Kannad Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited (Kannad SSK) located in Kannad village of Aurangabad district has been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the ED said in a statement on Friday.

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Rohit Pawar has been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) twice in the past after it searched the premises of Baramati Agro, Kannad SSK and some others in January.

In a statement issued by Baramati Agro, the Karjat-Jamkhed MLA and Sharad Pawar's grandnephew said that the case by the ED is based on an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police.

The EOW had alleged Kannad SSK was fraudulently sold by the then officials and directors of Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) at throwaway prices to their relatives and private persons ignoring due procedure, it said, as per the PTI.

According to the PTI, the MSCB had acquired the assets of the sugar mill in 2009 to recover an outstanding loan of about Rs 80 crore, as per the ED.
Rohit Pawar said that while the EOW of the Mumbai Police named Baramati Agro as an accused in its FIR, it also filed a blanket 'C Summary' (closure) report. A 'C Summary' report suggests that the probe is complete and that no offence is made out against the accused.

According to the 38-year-old MLA, the 'C Summary' report states that during the investigation it was found that the process of sanctioning loans by MSCB and the sale of sugar mills are carried out in tune with legal provisions and the "bank has not caused loss for itself or the directors and that its officials haven't benefitted," the news agency reported on Saturday.

"It was also found that the events of violation of guidelines of NABARD, RBI do not amount to criminal acts. It is submitted that the investigation does not reveal acts of commission of cognizance offence by the MSCB's directors or officials. Allegations are of civil nature and no criminal offence has been made out as alleged," said the statement, referring to the EOW probe, according to the PTI.

The closure report was brought to the notice of ED, but the agency still attached the assets, said the statement. The action seems to be 'politically motivated', it claimed.

When Baramati Agro acquired the assets of Kannad SSK in 2012, the statement said, MSCB was run by a board of administrators appointed on the recommendation of RBI and not by officials of MSCB. There is no question of there being any relation of officials with the stakeholders of Baramati Agro, the release said, adding that the ED claims are factually incorrect, the statement said, the news agency reported.

The statement said that the provisional attachment order will not adversely affect farmers, workers and other stakeholders who have contributed to Kannad sugar unit.

(with PTI inputs)