DK Shivkumar, former minister in the erstwhile Congress govt of Karnataka, is a well known politician. He has been proved to be a “sankatmochan” for the grand old party, especially during the safeguarding of Congress MLAs in his resorts. DK Shivakumar is currently the state chief of the Congress party in Karnataka, and active in the state in the wake of the upcoming assembly elections in the beginning of 2023.
As per the officials, the Enforcement Directorate has filed a chargesheet under the anti-money laundering law against Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and others. The ED alleged that the Congress leader’s wealth grew exponentially during his two tenures as minister in Karnataka between 2004 and 2018. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday filed a prosecution complaint against Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar in connection with a money-laundering case it registered against him in 2018. DK Shivakumar is currently out on bail in the case. The ED arrested Shivakumar in September 2019 in the case, in which it had also arraigned as accused Haumanthaiah, an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others. This criminal case was filed based on an Income Tax department chargesheet filed against Shivakumar and others before a court in Bengaluru for alleged tax evasion and hawala dealings.
In its prosecution complaint in June 2018, the department claimed Shivakumar paid ₹5 crore to the All-India Congress Committee as well through his political associate V Mulgund in two tranches. In July 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a case alleging Shivakumar and his brother, DK Suresh, amassed disproportionate assets worth ₹74.93 crore when the Congress leader was a minister in Karnataka between April 1, 2013, and April 30, 2018.
CBI claimed Shivakumar and his family had moveable and immovable assets worth ₹33.92 crore before April 2013, according to his election affidavit. Between April 2013 and April 2018, it alleged Shivakumar and his family acquired assets, movable and immovable, to the tune of ₹128 crore. CBI said they held assets worth ₹162 crore at the end of check period. It added the total income and receipts during these five years was ₹166 crore while their expenditure was ₹113 crore.
“I have got to know that some national channels are reporting that they (ED) have filed a chargesheet. They have submitted it to the court, we have not been given a copy yet. The court will give us the copy. Usually it has to be filed within 60 days from the day I was jailed, but they have filed it after 3-3.5 years after large scale investigation,” said DK Shivakumar, alleging that all the “political weapons” are being used against him, ahead of 2023 assembly polls in Karnataka. “I believe in law of the land. I also believe I will get justice. All this is politically motivated,” he further added.
