Sanjay Raut to appear before ED tomorrow

Mumbai, Jun 30: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut is expected to appear before ED on July 1 for his questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the re-development of a Mumbai 'chawl' and related financial property transactions involving his wife and alleged associates.

"I will be going to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office tomorrow," Raut told reporters.

The ED had sent a second summons to Raut, asking him to appear before them on July 1 in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case.

The agency wants to question the 60-year-old Raut and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

On Monday, Raut had termed the ED's summons as a "conspiracy" to stop him from fighting against their political opponents.

In April, the ED provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore of Raut's wife Varsha Raut and two of his associates as part of this investigation.

The attached properties are in the form of land held by Pravin M Raut, Sanjay Raut's aide and a former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, at Palghar, Saphale (town in Palghar) and Padgha (in Thane district). The attached properties also include a flat in Mumbai's suburb Dadar held by Varsha Raut and eight plots at Kihim beach in Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar, a "close associate" of Sanjay Raut, the ED had said.