In the Coimbatore district, 45 acres of land belonging to a benami company connected to former DMK minister A Raja, who oversaw the environment and forests from 2004 to 2007, have been temporarily attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ED found during the course of the investigation conducted in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) that A. Raja, while serving as the Minister of Environment & Forests, gave environmental clearances to a real estate company based in Gurugram.
The company, which is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, is also among the biggest real estate companies in the nation. The ED claims that the company gave A Raja a kickback in exchange for awarding environmental clearance in 2007 under the guise of land commission income going to a benami company owned by A. Raja.
The ED also found that A Raja set up the company in 2007 under the names of his relatives and a close family friend with the express purpose of hiding the proceeds of crime.
According to ED officials, the company has never been involved in any commercial activity since it was founded. All of the money received by the company was a quid pro quo from a real estate transaction, and it was used to buy land in the Coimbatore district.
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