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After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) Deputy Secretary General Aadhav Arjuna said the search warrants issued were not in his name.
The ED has seized Rs 8.8 crore in cash in raids linked to Chennai-based ‘lottery king’ Santiago Martin. The raids, part of a money laundering investigation, targeted 20 locations in Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab and West Bengal.
The ED investigations, which started on Thursday, include properties linked to Martin’s son-in-law Arjuna. “I have never been involved in any illegal activities and left my business positions when I entered politics,” said Arjuna.
ED officials said the cash, mainly in Rs 500 notes, was seized from Martin’s head office.
Martin, known for donating Rs 1,300 crore to political parties through now-defunct electoral bonds, has been facing ongoing investigations after the Madras High Court recently allowed ED action in a closed Tamil Police case Nadu.
The raids targeted Martin’s business empire and associates. ED officials described the operation as a “comprehensive action” against alleged money laundering activities.
Martin was recently in the news after Election Commission data revealed that his company (Future Gaming) was the largest buyer of now-discarded electoral bonds worth over Rs 1,300 crore between 2019 and 2024, meant for donations to political parties.
The Madras High Court last month allowed the ED case against Martin and his associates to proceed as it set aside a lower court order that had accepted a closure report filed by the Crime Branch of Chennai Police in a case related to the seizure of “unaccounted” Rs 7.2 crore from his house in Chennai.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published by:
Vadapalli Nithin Kumar
Published on:
November 17, 2024