Deshmukh case: ED records former general secretary Sitaram Kunte’s statement for more than 6 hours

Kunte, who is currently the principal advisor to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, reached the agency’s office at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai around 11 am.

He left the ED office at 5.20 pm after recording his statement for over six hours, the official said.

“The ED had called me to get some information regarding the Anil Deshmukh case. Accordingly, I have provided the information to them,” Kunte told reporters while leaving the office of the Anti-Money Laundering Agency.

Asked whether the ED wanted to know about the alleged irregularities in police transfers in the state, Kunte said, “Yes, it was the same.”

According to sources, Kunte was summoned by the agency earlier but he could not appear due to hectic schedule.

Senior NCP leader Deshmukh was arrested by the ED in a multi-crore money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody.

Notably, the ED had recently recorded the statement of suspended Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh in connection with a money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Police Establishment. Singh had accused Deshmukh of corruption and other irregularities when he was the home minister.

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner, Singh had alleged that the then state Home Minister Deshmukh had directed sacked policeman Sachin Waje to extort. 100 crores per month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

The ED’s case against Deshmukh and others came to light after the CBI first conducted a preliminary inquiry (PE), then registered a routine case on the orders of the Bombay High Court.

The ED had earlier told a Mumbai court that Deshmukh, when he was the home minister, had received over 4 crores from bar owners in Mumbai and sent that money to their trust as donations through various dummy companies.