ED attaches Congress Bhawan, two more properties in Chhattisgarh liquor scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached three immovable properties worth Rs 6.15 crore in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Among the assets attached are the Congress Bhawan in Sukma, registered under the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, a residential house in Raipur belonging to former state excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and a house in Sukma owned by his son, Harish Kawasi.

The ED claims that these properties were built using illicit funds generated through a widespread corruption network linked to the procurement and distribution of liquor between 2019 and 2022.

According to ED findings, Kawasi Lakhma allegedly received Rs 2 crore monthly during his tenure, amassing approximately Rs 72 crore in illegal earnings. He is currently in judicial custody.

The ED asserts that Rs 68 lakh was spent on the construction of the Congress Bhawan, Rs 1.40 crore on Harish Kawasi’s house and Rs 2.24 crore on Lakhma’s own property in Raipur.

The broader scam reportedly generated over Rs 2,161 crore in proceeds of crime, severely impacting the state exchequer. The latest asset attachment follows a previous ED action seizing assets worth Rs 205 crore, underscoring the agency’s aggressive push to unravel what it describes as a nexus of political and bureaucratic corruption in Chhattisgarh.