ED attaches assets worth Rs 106cr of UCO Bank ex-CMD, associates

NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday said it has attached assets worth over Rs 106 crore belonging to former CMD of UCO Bank SK Goel, his family members and associates as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation against him.

Earlier on July 11, a supplementary chargesheet was filed against Goel before a special PMLA court in Kolkata.Assets worth Rs 613 crore have been provisionally attached in the case so far. The key accused in the case - Sanjay Sureka, SK Goel and Anant Kumar Agarwal - remain in judicial custody.The probe against Goel began after ED found allegations of bribery against him in a Rs 6,211-crore bank fraud case. This was based on an FIR registered by CBI in Kolkata against Concast Steel & Power Ltd (CSPL) and its directors/promoters for defrauding banks and other financial institutions of Rs 6,211 crore, excluding interest.The CSPL promoters were accused of siphoning bank funds by submitting inflated stock statements, manipulating balance sheets, etc. Goel, ex-CMD of UCO Bank, was arrested in the case on May 16 for allegedly "playing a substantial role in sanctioning loans of more than Rs 1,460 crore to CSPL, which later turned into NPA"."In lieu of sanction of loans to CSPL, Goel received substantial illegal gratification in the form of cash, immovable properties, etc., which were routed through a web of shell companies. Evidence also shows the use of accommodation entries and structured layering through front companies for systematic settlement of kickbacks," the agency said.Anant Kumar Agarwal, a CA and close associate of Goel, was arrested on June 25 for facilitating accommodation entries, managing shell entities, and routing illegally acquired cash.