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ED attaches Rs 1.3-cr worth assets of ex-APSC chairman Rakesh Paul

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GUWAHATI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has attached assets worth Rs 1.30 crore of a former chairman of the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) on money laundering charges.

A provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Rakesh Kumar Paul for attachment of two flats at Shaktigarh Path, a commercial space at Bhangagarh in Guwahati, and Rs 10 lakh cash, which was seized from his premises by police in the past, it said.

Paul was the chairman of the APSC between 2012 and 2019.

The ED slapped criminal charges under the PMLA against Paul on the basis of a state police FIR that alleged irregularities related to recruitment of candidates in the Assam government services through the examination conducted by the APSC.

“Investigation by state police established that Paul along with the other accused hatched a criminal conspiracy and manipulated the system of selection of candidates through APSC in lieu of illegal gratification,” the ED said in a statement.

The central agency said its probe found that Paul had invested illegitimate money to purchase various movable and immovable properties in his and his family”s name at different locations in the state.

He purchased the properties “at much lower prices as shown in the agreement papers and sale deeds as compared to their market value at the relevant point of time”.

“The investigation established that the value of the properties shown in the sale deeds were hugely suppressed by Paul to launder the proceeds of crime,” the ED claimed. (PTI)

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