ED raids Satish Jarkiholi, daughter over foreign deals

Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday raided senior Congress Minister Satish Jarkiholi and his parliamentarian daughter in connection with suspicious foreign financial transactions.Eighteen premises linked to Jarkiholi, the Public Works Department (PWD) minister in the Congress state government, his daughter and Chikkodi MP Priyanka Jarkiholi, his son Rahul Jarkiholi, and his brother-in-law and the Additional Excise Commissioner, Enforcement and Crime, Belagavi, Y Manjunath, were raided.ED sources told DH that the raids were executed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).’Prosecution sanctions for BJP, JD(S) leaders pending’: Congress slams political vendetta over ED raids on JarkiholiIn June, the ED launched search operations against Manjunath and others over alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Excise Department, terming it “an organised syndicate operating like a well-oiled machine”.”The latest raids are separate and not directly connected to the excise searches. This is a separate case related to the minister and his immediate relatives, including the daughter and senior excise officer, under FEMA,” the sources said.The raids primarily focused on the minister’s house in Belagavi’s Kuvempu Nagar, Gokak and surrounding places in the border district. The minister’s official residence near Sivananda Circle and another house in RMV 2nd Stage — both in Bengaluru — were also searched.Multiple ED teams from the Bengaluru and Goa units, flanked by armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, launched simultaneous raids at the break of dawn and prohibited any entry or exit. Manjunath’s residence was also raided.According to sources, it is suspected that Satish and his family were linked to investments in mining companies in Uganda and other African countries. Some links in South Africa are also under the scanner. Jarkiholi’s Rwanda connection is also under the scanner, sources said.In September 2024, Jarkiholi had hosted the High Commissioner of Rwanda to India, Jacqueline Mukangira, in Belagavi to explore bilateral commercial ties. She had visited the Suvarna Soudha and the Belagavi Sugar Factory.During the ‘Belagavi-Rwanda Business Meet’, Jarkiholi had announced plans to set up an ‘Indian Sports School’ in Rwanda, the status of this remains unclear. He had said he had made trips to the African country and praised it for being “progressive and safe for women”.Other alleged foreign investments in Africa are also under the ED scanner, sources said, including Jarkiholi’s international business ventures in mining, sugar and real estate. Officials are examining digital devices, bank statements, travel histories and finances of the minister, relatives and his staff and associates.The suspected foreign transactions were found during ED’s earlier searches on Manjunath and the Excise Department. Sources said the agency found the money trail linked to Manjunath’s wife Mahadevi, who is also Jarkiholi’s sister. Illegal foreign transactions worth a few crores were detected, leading to the fresh raids, the sources said. The residence of Jarkiholi’s personal assistant Malagouda Patil at Kadoli village in Belagavi taluk was also raided. The minister’s aides and some businessmen from Gokak were also searched. Satish JarkiholiMultiple searches Raids conducted on minister’s house in Belagavi’s Kuvempu Nagar, Gokak and surrounding places Minister’s official residence near Sivananda Circle and another house in RMV 2nd Stage — both in Bengaluru — were also searched Sources say raids not linked to searches on minister’s brother-in-law Manjunath in excise caseForeign investments in Africa are also under the ED scanner, according to sourcesD K Shivakumar puts ministers on alert Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said he had warned his Cabinet colleagues and party legislators that they could face Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids. The raids prompted Home Minister Priyank Kharge to hold an emergency closed-door meeting with Shivakumar. Details on Page

Source: Deccan Herald