Mumbai, March 6 NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar moved a discharge application before a special court here on Friday in connection with the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) 'scam' case.
Pawar, who filed the application through his lawyer Kushal Mor, claimed that no money laundering case is made out as the predicate offense has been closed.
The MSCB money laundering case originated from an FIR filed by the Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in August 2019, alleging that the then officers and directors of MSCB fraudulently sold SSKs (Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana or cooperative sugar mills) at throwaway prices to their relatives/private persons without following due procedure.
Besides Pawar, his close associate and businessman Rajendra Ingwale and five others have sought discharge in the case.
The special judge for MPs/MLAs cases, Mahesh Jadhav, asked the ED to submit its response by March 17.
Pawar, who represents the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly seat in the Ahilyanagar district, was named as an accused in the third chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate in July last year.
The investigation agency has alleged that MSCB, in order to recover an outstanding loan of Rs 80.56 crore of Kannad SSK Limited in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, took possession of its assets on July 13, 2009 under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act.
The MSCB then conducted an auction on August 30, 2012, of Kannad SSK by fixing a "very low" reserve price based on a questionable valuation report, the ED alleged.
"Besides Baramati Agro Limited, two other parties entered the bidding process. The bidder with the highest bid was technically disqualified on flimsy grounds, whereas the other bidder was already a close business associate of Baramati Agro Ltd with no financial capacity or experience of running a sugar unit," it said.