TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Director of Mines Prasanna Acharya has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the illegal mining case registered under Prevention of Money Laundering (PML) Act, 2002. He has to be present at the Directorate’s city office next Monday. This is a first summon issued in the case that was filed last week.
“Yes the department has been summoned. We have been asked to produce whatever documents we have with regard to mining during 2007-11,” Acharya told Herald.
Media reports quote Joint Director, DoE Pradip Pawar, saying that that after the case on illegal mining was registered, they had begun investigations. According to the department officials, they had issued summons to Acharya initially and as the investigation goes on, more people will be summoned including other mines directorate officials and representatives of private mining companies.
The ECIR has been registered against government officials, mining companies and entities identified and mentioned in the report of Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court, Justice M B Shah Commission report and report of Goa State Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The directorate has also registered cases against Magnum Minerals Private Limited, Frost International Limited and Bagadiya Brother Private Limited.
The SIT is also currently investigating 12 cases related to illegal mining and has filed chargesheet in one case involving former mines director Arvind Lolienkar.
The case has been registered on scheduled offences of Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Department officials said that documents and other related records were being collected from various agencies and their examination is under way.
