The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a batch of petitions filed by 'lottery baron' Santiago Martin, his wife Leema Rose, daughter Daisy Aadhav Arjuna (wife of Tamil Nadu PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna), and companies owned by Martin's son Charles. The pleas challenge the attachment of properties worth Rs 451.22 crore belonging to them in connection with alleged money laundering offences.
Court Proceedings
The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan passed the order on 39 petitions filed by the family and their companies. The properties in question are alleged to be proceeds of crime totalling Rs 910.29 crore.
Background of the Case
The issue stems from search and seizure operations conducted by the ED on May 11 and 12, 2023, at premises associated with the Martin family. The searches were based on a CBI chargesheet dated February 3, 2014, alleging offences under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections 4(d), 4(f), 7(3), and 9 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act.
It is alleged that the lottery distributor and others conspired to violate the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, thereby cheating and causing wrongful loss to the state of Sikkim. A total of 32 First Information Reports (FIRs) registered in connection with the offence were transferred to the CBI. Closure reports were filed in 25 cases, while chargesheets were filed in seven cases.
Court's Directive
Admitting the appeals, the court directed the petitioners to serve complete copies of the case documents to the ED. The hearing has been adjourned for six weeks.
