Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized cash worth Rs 1.68 crore, 6.75 kg of gold worth Rs 6.58 crore during the search and seizure operations on the residences and properties of Karnataka Congress MLA Sathish K. Sail and others, the official ED statement said on Thursday.
ED’s Bengaluru Zonal Office has arrested Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sail under provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on September 9 for being found involved in money laundering.
After the arrest, the Congress legislator was produced before the Special Court for MPs/MLAs in Bengaluru and the court granted ED custody of the accused for three days.
MLA Satish Krishna Sail and 12 other co-accused persons/entities were convicted by the Special Court, for the offence of illegal export of iron ore fines that had been seized by the Forest Authorities, causing a loss of Rs 86.78 crore, to the taxpayers of the state, the ED statement said.
Earlier, a search and seizure operation was conducted on August 13 and August 14, at multiple locations in Karwar, Hospet, Goa, Mumbai and New Delhi under the PMLA, in the case of Satish Sail and others (Ashapura Minechem Ltd., ILC Industries Ltd., M/s. Swastik Steel (Hospet) Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Minerals and M/s. Shri Lal Mahal Ltd.).
The search action resulted in seizure of incriminating documents, e-mail correspondences, records etc.
Cash worth Rs 1.68 crore, bullion/gold jewellery weighing 6.75 kg valued at Rs 6.58 crore along with balance in bank accounts of Rs 14.73 crore have been seized/frozen.
Further investigation is under progress.
Congress legislator Satish K. Sail was jailed in connection with an illegal mining case.
On October 26, 2024, the Karnataka Special Court for MLAs and MPs convicted Congress MLA Satish K. Sail to seven years of imprisonment in six cases related to the sensational Belekeri iron ore export case.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 44 crore on him in these six cases.
However, MLA Sail later filed an appeal in the High Court against the verdict of the Special Court for MLAs and MPs.
In the hearing held in November 2024, the bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna directed that the order imposing the sentence on MLA Sail be kept in abeyance.
While granting bail, the High Court instructed the Congress legislator to deposit 25 per cent of the fine amount.
But, ED again arrested MLA Sathish Sail recently.
The case was registered in 2010, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) subsequently submitted a charge sheet.
The court convicted the MLA in connection with all six FIRs, marking a setback for the Congress-led Karnataka government.
Satish K. Sail was named as the second accused in the first case.
On September 13, 2013, the CBI registered an FIR against the company owned by the convicted MLA, following directions from the Supreme Court regarding illegal mining and transportation of iron ore from Karnataka between 2009 and 2010.
The CBI said that within a period of eight months, Mallikarjuna Shipping Private Limited, owned by MLA Sail, exported 7.23 lakh tonnes of iron ore through the Belekeri Port to a foreign destination.
The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) report found that 88.6 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore were exported by 73 companies, whereas permits had been obtained for only 38.22 lakh metric tonnes.
The investigation revealed that the company owned by Satish Sail had illegally exported 7.23 lakh tonnes of iron ore.
His house was raided in 2012, and he was arrested in 2013.
He was released after spending more than a year in prison.
(IANS)
