A court here on Wednesday remanded Sadanand Kadam, an `aide’ of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab, in 14-day judicial custody in an alleged money laundering case connected to the construction of a resort at Dapoli.
Kadam, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 10, was produced before a special judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases, M G Deshpande, at the end of his ED custody.
The court sent him in judicial custody as the ED sought no further remand.
During the previous remand hearing, Kadam’s lawyer had claimed that he was only a “shoulder for the ED to shoot someone else.”
Besides Kadam, the ED has also arrested former sub-divisional officer Jairam Deshpande, and interrogated Parab, a former Maharashtra minister.
The money laundering case stems from a complaint filed by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry against Parab, Sai Resort, Sea Conch Resort and others for alleged violation of the Environment (Protection) Act, and a connected police case against Parab and others for “deceiving and causing loss to the state government of Maharashtra.”
In January this year, the ED had attached Sai Resort at Dapoli in coastal Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, worth more than Rs 10 crore, as part of a money laundering probe against Parab and others.
The ED alleged that Parab “in connivance” with Kadam got “illegal permission” from local sub-divisional office for converting agriculture-only land into one for non-agricultural use, and constructed a resort on it in violation of CRZ (coastal regulation zone) norms.
Dapoli, about 230 km from Mumbai, is a scenic coastal town with moderate climate and has seen a lot of construction activity of late.
Parab obtained “illegal” permission from the state revenue department for the construction of a twin bungalow over land falling under CRZ-III, that is a no development zone, and illegally constructed `Sai Resort NX’, the ED alleged.
