MSCB scam case: EOW wants to probe Pawar family members

Mumbai: In its written submission before a court,the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police has mentioned names of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar and others of the Pawar family – his nephew Rajendra Pawar and grandnephew and MLA Rohit Pawar – in alleged irregularities concerning loans disbursed to sugar factories in the Rs 25,000 crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam that it intends to investigate.

In its submission before the court, the EOW has said that it found its investigation lacking on several grounds such as not recording statements of important stakeholders in the sugar factories and officers part of the enquiry.

In one part it mentioned the involvement of Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar and maternal uncle Rajendra Ghadge. The document stated that a cooperative sugar factory, Jarandeshwar cooperative, was sold to Guru Commodities Pvt Ltd for Rs 65 crore, who immediately handed it over to another company Jarandeshwar Sugar Mill Pvt Ltd on yearly rent of Rs12 lakh. For purchasing the factory, Guru Commodities had received amounts from three companies, among them the company it was leased to, in which the maternal uncle is a director. The lessee company had received Rs20 crore from Jay Agrotech, owned by Ajit Pawar and Ghatge in which Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar is a director.

The document also mentioned NCP leader Prasad Tanpure’s son Prajakt Tanpure. It said that he was a director inadistrict cooperative bank and purchased a cooperative sugar factory RG Gadkari at rates much lower than the reserved price.

The EOW also mentioned the involvement of NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew Rajendra Pawar and his grandnephew and the latter's son and MLA Rohit Pawar in its written submission.This is in connection with the sale of a cooperative sugar factory to a company Baramati Agro Pvt. Ltd. for Rs 50 crore. The company is controlled by the father and son, it said. For the money for the purchase, it said working capital facility was availed from different accounts of different banks. The money was not used for working capital and was diverted and used for the said purchase, it stated.

Accused in the case are many politicians cutting across party lines who held positions as directors in district co-operative banks. As per the FIR at MRA Marg police station,the bank allegedly gave illegal loans to sugar factories and thensold the latter to their own kith and kin at throw-away prices when they were unable to repay the loans, thus causing an estimated loss of Rs 25,000 crore to the bank.