Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the properties of the Former – Indian Forest Services officer worth Rs. 66 lakhs under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. It is really disappointing when government workers abuse their authority to make such dreadful errors.
Abhay Kant Pathak, a former Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer from the 1987 batch, was charged, along with others, for having assets out of proportion to his known sources of income while serving as the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Addl. PCCF), Plan, Programme, and Afforestation in the PCCF office of the Government of Odisha.
On the basis of a FIR filed by the Vigilance Cell PS, Cuttack, Odisha, regarding the acquisition of disproportionate assets by Abhay Kant Pathak and his family members totaling Rs. 9.35 Crore, the Enforcement Department had begun an inquiry under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The Enforcement Department has noticed that several chargesheets and FIRs registered by the Odisha Police involved the son of the IFoS officer.
ED had previously conducted search operations in accordance with PMLA, 2002, and had also confiscated a BMW Car. In April 2022, a Provision Attachment Order was also issued against Abhay Kant Pathak and others.
This is not a new case where a Central Government officer committed misappropriation of assets and got caught by the Enforcement Department. Recently, the enforcement has confirmed the attachment of Properties worth Rs. 82.7 crores of Pooja Singal IAS under the provisions of PMLA.
A charge of violating Sections 3 and 4 of the 2002 Prevention of Money Laundering Act was brought against the IAS officer by the ED. Money laundering is a crime that is detailed in Section 3.
Since the Supreme Court denied her appeal for relief on her bail petition, she was demoted and is currently being held in judicial custody.
Read More: ED confirms attachment of Properties worth Rs. 82.7 crores of Pooja Singal IAS under PMLA
In connection with the unlawful Coal Levy Extortion Scam in the State of Chhattisgarh, the ED has also provisionally attached the properties of Ranu Sahu, an IAS, and others, including two MLAs. According to an investigation by the ED, the use of extortion tactics resulted in illegal advancement of Rs 540 crore.
Read More: Chhattisgarh Illegal Coal Levy Scam: ED Attaches Properties of IAS Ranu Sahu, Two MLAs and Others
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