Praful Patel reaches ED office in Mumbai

NCP leader Praful Patel on Friday reached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office here after being summoned by the agency in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged illegal assets of late Iqbal Mirchi, an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Patel, a former Union minister in the UPA regime, reached the ED office in south Mumbai in the morning, officials said.

The ED is expected to record Patel's statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with a deal between the wife of Mirchi and a real estate company promoted by Patel. He has already been questioned by the ED in an another money laundering case linked to the aviation scam.

According to ED officials, Patel's Millennium Developers Pvt Ltd constructed a building called Ceejay House in 2006-07 and its third and fourth floors were transferred to Mirchi's wife, Hajra Iqbal. The land on which the tower was made is said to be owned by Mirchi. Investigators claim the land was purchased from the proceeds of crime of money laundering, drugs trafficking and alleged crimes of extortion.

Patel and his party have denied any wrongdoing in the deal and said that the property papers explain that the transaction is "clean and transparent". At a recent press conference, Patel rubbished reports about his alleged deal as "mere speculation".

"Documents may have been leaked to media. Obviously, you are in possession of some papers, which may have never been brought to my attention," Patel had said..

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