ED Raid Uncovers Rs 60 Lakhs in Cash from DMK Minister, Kin’s Properties

CHENNAI: A raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in connection to a money laundering case, unearthed more than Rs 60 lakh in cash, which included Rs 10 lakh in foreign currency, from the premises of DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and his MP son Gautham Sigamani, sources informed.

The raids were conducted by the ED at places belonging to Ponmudy and his son in TN state capital Chennai and in Villupuram, while the ruling DMK said it was nothing but 'political vendetta.'

Ponmudy, the 72-year old minister, had been elected as an MLA from the Villupuram district’s Tirukkoyilur Assembly seat, while his son Sigamani, 49, is a Parliamentarian from the Kallakurichi seat.

The money laundering case in question is connected with irregularities that allegedly occurred when Ponmudy was the state mining minister between 2007 and 2011. There have also been allegations of committing violations while doling out quarry licences, which resulted in loss to the exchequer of about Rs 28 crore.

A complaint had been filed by the state police to conduct a probe into these charges of alleged corruption against the minister and those closely linked to him, with the Madras High Court refusing to consider a stay in the trial of this case in June when Sigamani approached it with a relief petition.

The erstwhile minister is charged with obtaining mining and quarry licences for his son and other family members, even as the licence bearers had alleged carried out quarrying of red sand beyond the permissible limit.

The High Court spoke of enough grounds being present to presume that the offence has been committed by the petitioner, due to which the trial could not be stopped.

The raids were conducted on the same day that DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin was slated to participate in the Congress-led Opposition meet in Bengaluru to chalk out a strategy for the 2024 LS Polls. DMK, TN's ruling party, observed that under Stalin's leadership the party has been successful in posing a challenge to the BJP and the ED action is aimed at its intimidation.

Party spokesperson A Saravanan regarded this to be outright political vendetta that is aimed at testing the DMK's resolve.

Saravanan alleged that there has been no such action from Central authorities against the leaders of the AIADMK on similar graft cases like the one that involves the Gutka scandal.

A similar action had recently been initiated by the ED against another of Chief Minister MK Stalin’s cabinet ministers, when it arrested Transport Minister Senthil Balaji in an alleged money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam.

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