Senthil Balaji arrest: Tamil Nadu minister took money from job ...
Tamil Nadu state electricity Minister Senthil Balaji was allegedly involved in a criminal conspiracy where he and other accused coordinated with the managing directors of the state transport undertakings and took money from job aspirants, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said in its remand note.
As per the agency, the Minister was allegedly involved in a cash-for-jobs scheme and illegally obtained money from candidates to recruit them as drivers, conductors, junior engineers, assistants, etc.
The transactions in the scheme were allegedly executed by the minister’s close allies, B Shanmugam and M Karthikeyan, the ED revealed. The candidates paying for the jobs would have their marks fraudulently manipulated. Most would not get appointment letters despite paying money, the remand note said.
The money was paid to Balaji’s personal assistant, with most of the money going to the minister himself.
“Bank statements revealed that there have been cash deposits of Rs 1.34 crore in the account of Senthil Balaji and Rs 29.55 lakh in the account of his wife, Meghala,” the agency claimed.
The ED arrested Senthil Balaji on Wednesday after searching his premises in connection with a money laundering case. The minister was called in for questioning and was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the cash-for-jobs scheme.
The cash-for-jobs scheme dates back to Balaji’s tenure as transport minister and member of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The key suspects in the fraudulent scheme were summoned multiple times in 2022 but failed to appear.
Previously in May, the Income Tax department conducted raids in 40 places in Tamil Nadu linked to the minister.
On May 16, the Supreme Court refused to discharge Balaji in the cash-for-jobs scam, setting aside the Madras High Court’s order directing a fresh investigation against the minister and others in the case. The apex court granted the state police two months to conclude the inquiry and submit the report. The court also directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to continue investigating the charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
(With India Today inputs)
