The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said in its chargesheet that IRS official Sachin Sawant, who is suspected of money laundering, reportedly sent jewelry worth Rs. 1.75 lakh to a south Indian actor and laundered his “ill-gotten money” via bank accounts of family members and acquaintances.
The investigation agency claimed that Sawant, who served as the joint commissioner of customs, IRS (Customs & Central Excise) from January 2011 to August 2020, accumulated significant assets in his and his family members’ names and racked up expenses totaling Rs. 2.45 core that were out of proportion to their legitimate sources of income.
According to the ED’s chargesheet, investigations so far have shown that the accused earned Rs 4.11 crore from illicit sources of income.
Sawant is now being held in judicial custody after being detained in connection with the case in June.
Recently, the ED brought charges in the case before a special PMLA court against Sawant and other defendants.
Sawant’s driver stated in his testimony to the ED that Sawant’s “girlfriend” was an artiste from Malayalam film who resided in the same Mumbai building as the IRS official.
According to the driver’s testimony, which is included in the chargesheet, Sawant visited the lady 15 to 20 times after she moved to Kochi and gave her a gold anklet worth Rs 1.75 lakh.
The actress is “his close friend,” but according to Sawant in his testimony to the investigation agency, “he had never given her anything.”
According to the chargesheet, the accused further claimed that he had visited the Guruvayur and Mannarasala temples in Kochi on several occasions.
Vikram Sutaria, Sawant’s attorney, responded to the chargesheet by saying, “The subject is sub-judice. My customers have provided me with detailed financial statements. In the current situation, my client has received an unjustified accusation. Contrary to reports, he has no connections to south Indian performers. According to the chargesheet, the IRS officer’s father, mother, brother, and other family members’ bank accounts all received deposits from the illicit sources of income.
According to the ED, some of this money was used to pay off debts and buy real estate for family members and other connected organizations and people, as well as for personal use.
According to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act’s (PMLA) rules, the accused’s total unlawfully generated income of Rs. 4.11 crore constitutes the proceeds of crime.
The chargesheet said that Sawant allegedly placed his illegally obtained money into the bank accounts of businesses owned/controlled by his close friends/relatives.
It claimed that this sum was thereafter transferred into his family members’ bank accounts under the pretence of monthly salary.
According to his modus operandi, Sawant had disguised his corrupted funds as clean funds, it was said.
It further said that an investigation was being conducted to find the crime’s profits.
The Central Bureau of Investigation’s case against Sawant served as the foundation for the ED’s prosecution against him.
