Punjab-cadre IAS officer and former Chief Secretary Anurag Verma has been summoned again by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities linked to the Suntec City and Altus Space Builders real estate projects in the Mohali area.
Verma has been directed to appear before the ED at its Jalandhar regional office on September 7, and the latest summons comes after he did not appear before the agency on August 31, when he had earlier been called for questioning. Verma had sought an extension from the investigating officers.
Verma is currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Punjab and he previously served as Punjab's Chief Secretary and had held important positions in the Housing and Urban Development Department during the period when several decisions concerning the projects were taken.
The ED is examining Verma's role in decisions related to Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions and modifications to approved layouts and the agency is looking into whether prescribed rules and procedures were followed while granting the permissions and approving changes connected with the real estate developments.
Verma is the second Punjab-cadre IAS officer to come under questioning in the case. IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar, who has also held responsibilities connected with the department, was questioned by the ED on August 18 and again on August 27.
The money-laundering investigation relates to allegations involving realtor Ajay Sehgal and other persons associated with the Suntec City project.
Sehgal was arrested by the ED on May 22 as part of the probe.
According to the ED, Sehgal was a key promoter of the Suntec City project and allegedly played a central role in generating and concealing proceeds of crime and the agency has alleged that the proceeds involved in the case amounted to around ₹348 crore.
The case originated from an FIR registered at Mullanpur police station in November 2022 against Sehgal and other office-bearers of the Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society, and the subsequent ED investigation is being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The agency has alleged that forged consent letters were submitted to obtain CLU permissions for 108.58 acres of agricultural land and the land was allegedly sought to be developed for residential and commercial purposes.
On July 20, the ED filed a nearly 3,500-page prosecution complaint before a special PMLA court in Mohali in connection with the investigation. The complaint contains the agency's allegations and details of its probe into the alleged generation and concealment of proceeds of crime.
With the fresh summons, the ED is now seeking Verma's appearance on September 7 to question him about decisions taken during his tenure in the Housing and Urban Development Department and to examine whether any rules were violated in the process of granting CLUs and approving layout modifications.
