MOHALI: The Enforcement Directorate Monday arrested Punjab's former minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot inconnection with a monet laudering case in an investigation linked to an alleged scam in the forest department during the previous congress government during the previous Congress government led by Capt Amaninder Singh.
Dharamsot was the forest minister when the alleged scam took place.
The agency took the 64-year-old into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laudering Act(PMLA) in Jalandhar after the appeared before the agency for questioning.
The ED had earlier raidedd the premises of Dharamsot, another former forest minister Sangat Singh Gilzian, some forest department officials and others on November 30 last year.
The investigation pertains to charges of "bribery" in the state forest department against the issuance of permits for tree felling and for transfer and posting, among other allegations.
Dharamsot, a five-time MLA from Nabha, was earlier arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in Febraury last year in a case linked to allegdly amassing property beyond his known sources of income. The forst cabinet minister from the previous Congress government to be arrested after the Aam Aadmi party assumed power in Punjab in 2022, Dharamsot was on bail in the case.
Dharamsot was also booked by the Vigilance Bureau in connection with an aleged scholarship scam in 2022.
The money laundering case, filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laudering Act, stems from an FIR of the Vigilance Bureau into alleged irregularites in the forest department and allegatiobs of taking beibes by the ministers and officers concerned for issuing permits for felling of Khair trees, transfer/posting in the department, issuance of NOC from the department and purchase of tree guards.
