The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth ₹173.48 crores in the case registered against Santiago Martin and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The properties included bank accounts and land in Tamil Nadu in the name of Martin and that of his various companies. The ED had initiated investigation under the provisions of the PMLA based on the charges filed by the Kochi unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Investigation under the PMLA revealed that the partners of M/s. M J Associates, Martin and N. Jayamurugan made unlawful gain, inflicting the Government of Sikkim with a loss to the tune of ₹910,29,87,566 on account of inflating the prize-winning tickets’ claim for the period between April, 2009 and August 31, 2010, attracting Section 2(1)(u) of the PMLA.