The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches at the premises of Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and his son, Lok Sabha MP Gautham Sigamani, in a money-laundering case, reported PTI.
The searches at the premises linked to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader took place in connection with allegations that Ponmudy obtained quarry licenses for his son and other family members.
The allegations pertain to the period from 2007 to 2011, when Ponmudy was the state minister for mines and resources. The 72-year-old politician and his relatives have also been accused of quarrying 2.64 lakh loads of excess red sand, reported the Deccan Herald.
The misappropriation had allegedly led to a loss of about Rs 28 crore to the exchequer, according to the Enforcement Directorate.
The Madras High Court had last month refused to stay proceedings in the case, in response to a petition by Sigamani.
The Enforcement Directorate raids come a month after it searched another DMK leader V Senthil Balaji’s house.
The central agency had arrested Balaji on June 14 on the allegations of conspiring with transport corporation officials to appoint candidates recommended by his aides. The Enforcement Directorate claimed that crores of rupees were taken as bribes from candidates in exchange for jobs.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin alleged that the searches were a tactic to divert public attention from a meeting of Opposition parties slated to be held at Bengaluru on July 17 and 18.
“He [Ponmudi] will face this case legally,” Stalin said, according to ANI. “Governor is already doing election propaganda for us and now ED is also doing election propaganda for us. This is making election work easy for us. This is usual and a drama done by them [Bharatiya Janata Party].”
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