Anil Deshmukh skips ED summon in money laundering case_. ._....

 Anil Deshmukh skips ED summon in money laundering case, seeks fresh date for appearance......

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in the extortion case, his lawyer, Jayawant Patil, said.

Anil Deshmukh was supposed to appear for questioning at 11 am on Saturday. However, he skipped the summons and instead filed an application seeking time for him to appear before the ED. It was reported earlier that the economic intelligence agency was considering the application.

"We have not been given any kind of documents for a referral. We have demanded the documents so that the answers to the queries could be prepared. We have not asked for a specific date of appearance. It's up to the ED officials to review the application and take a call on the same," he said.

The lawyers also maintained that former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was present in Mumbai and willing to cooperate with the agency in their investigation.

ED investigation so far

The ED case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI first carried out a preliminary inquiry followed by a regular case being filed on the orders of the Bombay High Court.

The court had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into the allegations of bribery made against Anil Deshmukh by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

On May 11, the agency had filed a criminal case under the anti-money laundering law against Anil Deshmukh.

Sources said that ED officials have found a money trail of Rs 4 crores that was extorted from around 12 bar owners and collected by former assistant inspector Sachin Vaze over a few months.

The ED probe was ordered after former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh accused Anil Deshmukh of ordering now-suspended API Sachin Vaze and others to extort 100 crores from restaurants and bars across Mumbai. Waze has since been dismissed from service.

On Friday morning, ED officials reached Deshmukh's residence in Nagpur, his two Mumbai residences in Worli and Malabar Hill as well as Shinde and Palande's homes. Anil Deshmukh and one of his sons were present at their Worli residence. The central agency then arrested his personal assistant and personal secretary.

Anil Deshmukh, who has resigned from his post in April following the allegations, has denied any wrongdoing and said that the charges levelled against him were baseless.

BJP targeting Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders

Meanwhile, there is no end to politics over the issue. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the BJP was desperate to grab power in the state and hence was targeting leaders of Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress.

Congress leader Sachin Sawant said that the Narendra Modi government was using the central agencies to settle political scores.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said the former home minister of the state will soon be arrested in the corruption case.