ED officials arrest TN Minister Senthil Balaji in money-laundering case
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File picture of Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity V. Senthil Balaji
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Sources have confirmed that Enforcement Directorate officials have arrested Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji in a money-laundering case. The arrest followed an 18-hour interrogation at the Minister’s home in Chennai.
Following the interrogation, Mr. Senthil was taken in a car at 2 a.m. on Wednesday to Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital for a medical checkup. Three more vehicles carrying documents followed them.
Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin, Health Minister M. Subramanian and PWD Minister E.V. Velu visited the hospital.
Police personnel stand guard outside the casualty ward of the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai, where Minister Senthil Balaji was taken for a checkup on June 14, 2023
| Photo Credit:
B. Jothi Ramalingam
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday had launched searches at Mr. Balaji’s official chamber in the State Secretariat and bungalow in Chennai and other places linked to him in Karur and Coimbatore in connection with an alleged money laundering case. This is the first time the Central agency has entered Fort St. George, the seat of power, targeting a Minister.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin dubbed it an “intimidation tactic” by the Narendra Modi Government.
While the Central agency did not release any statement till the time of filing this report, it is understood that the searches were being conducted in connection with money laundering related to a job racket that allegedly took place when Mr. Balaji served as Transport Minister during 2011-15 in Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet.
It is alleged that bribe was sought for jobs in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Last month, the Supreme Court cleared the decks for probe, saying, “The investigation officer is to proceed with further investigation in all cases.”
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