Chennai, March 18 (NationPress) R. Girirajan, a Rajya Sabha member from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has submitted nine individual writ petitions to the Madras High Court. He is requesting that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) be directed to launch investigations into money laundering activities involving several prominent figures from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The petitions call for the court to instruct the ED to file Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, against former Tamil Nadu Ministers including S.P. Velumani, C. Vijayabaskar, M.R. Vijayabaskar, P. Thangamani, R. Kamaraj, K.P. Anbalagan, and K.C. Veeramani.

Also named in the plea are former MLA ‘T. Nagar’ Sathya, also known as B. Sathyanarayanan, and R. Elangovan, who previously served as the President of the Salem District Central Cooperative Bank.

The petitioner asserts that all nine individuals are already entangled in corruption cases filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988.

Girirajan claimed that these cases are categorized as “scheduled offences” under the PMLA, which necessitates the ED to commence parallel investigations into money laundering. He argued that the alleged illicit proceeds from these corruption cases clearly align with the definition of “proceeds of crime” as outlined in Section 2(1)(u) of the PMLA. Consequently, once such proceeds are identified, the ED is both empowered and obligated to register ECIRs, trace the illicit funds, and seize any assets involved, in compliance with the law.

The petitioner highlighted that the DVAC provides transparency by publishing all its FIRs on its official website, and the cases against these AIADMK leaders are already publicly accessible.

According to Girirajan, these FIRs unambiguously reveal the alleged offences under the PCA, removing any uncertainty about the nature of the allegations.

Referencing the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling in the case of Y. Balaji vs. Karthik Desai, Girirajan stressed that the court had emphasized the imperative to initiate money laundering investigations in situations involving corruption by public officials.

The court noted that the acquisition of illicit rewards constitutes “proceeds of crime” and is tantamount to money laundering.

“Given this binding precedent, the ED is required to file ECIRs without delay,” the petitioner argued, urging the High Court to provide appropriate directives to the central agency.

This case is anticipated to be heard in the near future, ahead of the April 23 Assembly elections.