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New Indian Express
18-05-2025
- New Indian Express
ED raid continues, Tasmac MD questioned for 10 hours
CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate's search operation at 10 locations in Chennai in the alleged Rs 1,000 crore Tasmac bribery scam that began on Friday morning continued for the second day on Saturday. Tasmac Managing Director S Visakan was once again taken to the Enforcement Directorate's office in Nungambakkam for questioning, where he was interrogated for at least 10 hours. Sources said that Deva, a prominent hotel owner, was also summoned to the agency's office for questioning. ED is conducting the searches to collect evidence on alleged money laundering in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case registered by it. The agency has booked the case based on 41 FIRs registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) regarding corruption in the state-owned liquor marketing company.
United News of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Rs 1,000 cr TASMAC scam : ED continues raid, questions MD for 2nd day, TN Min condemns
Chennai, May 17 (UNI) For the second day, officials of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) conducted raids at the residence of State-owned Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) MD and IAS Officer S Visakan and subjected him for questioning on Saturday in connection with the Rs 1,000 crore alleged irregularities unearthed by it. Reports said, a team of ED officials searched Visakan's premises for the second day in succession, which was condemned by DMK government by terming it as an act of political vendetta and harassment. After questioning him yesterday and releasing him last night, he was subjected to questioning today also at the ED office. The ED after earlier raids in March, as a follow up action, again launched searches in more than 10 locations linked to TASMAC yesterday and continued it at Visakan's premises for the second day today. Meanwhile, the ruling DMK condemned the raids and harassing the TASMAC officials in the guise of searches as politically motivated and an act of vendetta by the BJP-led government at the Centre and said the government would support the officials through legal measures. In a statement here, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Prohibition, and Excise strongly condemned the searches carried out by the ED on the premises linked to government officials and others in connection with the alleged Rs 1,000-crore scam in TASMAC, the monopoly in retail sale of liquor sale in the state, and said the State government would support the officials legally. Asserting that no no evidence were found during the raids, he said instead the ED authorities were harassing the officials, while terming it as vindictive and 'politically motivated and political vendetta'. Mr. Muthusamy also said the ED's claim of unearthing Rs 1,000 crore scam during the raids on TASMAC earlier in March as imaginary and to justify this false news, it is continuously harassing the TASMAC officials. "The State government will support the officials by taking necessary legal measures", he added. UNI GV 2020
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Time of India
Tasmac MD faces ED quizzing in Rs 1,000 crore graft case
Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated Tasmac MD S Visakan over suspected financial irregularities within the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation. ED conducted searches at Visakan's residence and other locations, including the house of film producer Akash Baskaran. The investigation stems from a suspected ₹1,000 crore scam involving inflated bottle prices, based on DVAC FIRs. CHENNAI: Enforcement Directorate took Tasmac managing director S Visakan, an IAS officer, to their office in Nungambakkam on Friday for interrogation in connection with its investigation of suspected financial discrepancies in Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation . His Manapakkam residence was searched earlier in the day. The searches began at 6am in various locations on Friday. Apart from Visakan's residence, searches were carried out in Besant Nagar, Choolaimedu, Anna Salai, Teynampet and T Nagar, in the houses and offices of businessmen. Film producer Akash Baskaran's house in Teynampet was also searched but ED did not reveal the link between him and the ongoing investigation. ED teams, comprising at least four officers, reached the targeted premises in separate vehicles guarded by CRPF personnel. ED sources said the agency had issued summonses to Visakan twice, but they were not complied with. After an eight-hour search at his residence, ED sleuths took Visakan and his wife to their Nungambakkam office while the search continued at the residence. Visakan was brought back home around 9pm and was being interrogated at his house in Manapakkam. In March, after searching the Tasmac head office, distilleries and breweries, ED said it suspected a Rs 1,000 crore scam via illegal cash generation by inflated prices for bottles from manufacturers. It registered a case under PMLA based on DVAC FIRs registered between 2016 and 2021. Visakan was detained at the Tasmac office for at least two days. Though Tasmac approached Madras HC to declare ED searches illegal, court rejected the plea.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ED picks up Tasmac MD for interrogation in alleged Rs 1,000cr scam
1 2 3 Chennai:Tightening its noose around the suspected financial discrepancies in Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday took Tasmac managing director S Visakan, an IAS officer, to their office in Nungambakkam for interrogation. His Manapakkam residence was searched earlier in the day. The searches began around 6am in about 10 places in various locations in the city on Friday. Apart from Visakan's residence, the searches were carried out in Besant Nagar, Choolaimedu, Anna Salai, Teynampet and T Nagar in the houses and offices of businessmen. Film producer Akash Baskaran's house in Teynampet was also searched, but ED did not reveal the link between him and the ongoing investigation. The ED teams, comprising at least four officers, reached the targeted premises in separate vehicles guarded by CRPF personnel. The agency sources said it had issued summonses to Visakan twice, but they were not complied with. After an eight-hour searches at his residence, the ED sleuths took Visakan and his wife in their vehicle around 3pm and reached their Nungambakkam office, even while the searches continued at the residence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Her heart is not functioning properly; please help her! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo Around 5pm, Visakan's wife was let was brought back home around 9pm and is being interrogated at his house in Manapakkam. In March, after searching the Tasmac head office, distilleries and breweries, ED said it suspected a Rs 1,000 crore scam via illegal cash generation by inflated prices for bottles from manufacturers. It registered a case under PMLA based on DVAC FIRs registered between 2016 and 2021. During the searches, Visakan was detained at the Tasmac office for at least two days. Though Tasmac approached Madras high court to declare the ED searches illegal, the court rejected the plea and allowed ED to continue with the investigation.
New Indian Express
25-04-2025
- New Indian Express
ED summons Tasmac MD, three officials in Rs 1,000-crore money laundering probe
CHENNAI: A day after the Madras High Court dismissed the petitions by Tasmac and the state government against the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raids on the Tasmac premises last month, the central agency on Thursday issued summons to four senior Tasmac officials, including its managing director Dr S Visakan, for questioning in the alleged Rs 1,000 crore money laundering scam that the agency is investigating, official sources said. Apart from Visakan, summons has been issued to three other top officials, including general managers, of the state-owned liquor distribution firm. They are slated to appear before the ED's Chennai zonal office in Nungambakkam next week, sources indicated. The quartet had already been issued summons earlier, but they sought more time to submit the documents which the ED had asked for. Incidentally, Visakan and three other officers had filed individual affidavits before the Madras High Court alleging harassment by ED during their searches from March 6-8 at the company's office in Egmore, Chennai. However, the court found no evidence of harassment as alleged by the petitioners. The ED probe is based on 41 FIRs registered by the state Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) alleging corruption in Tasmac operations from 2017-2024. According to an internal note of ED, Tasmac's head office was specifically searched as it is a central repository and custodian of records relating to key operational domains, retail sales, supply orders, tender processes, staff transfers and inspections, all of which were implicated in the predicate offences. In an official press note on March 13, ED had alleged manipulation in the allocation of Tasmac's transport tender, bar licences and stated they had evidence to show direct communication between distilleries and Tasmac senior officials, which exposed efforts to secure increased orders and undue favours. The release alleged large-scale financial fraud involving distillery companies SNJ, KALS, Accord, SAIFL and Shiva, which they said exposed a well-orchestrated scheme of unaccounted cash generation and illicit payments. ED said their probes revealed that distilleries inflated expenses and fabricated bogus purchases to siphon off over Rs 1,000 crore in unaccounted cash. These funds were then used for kickbacks to secure increased supply orders from Tasmac, ED alleged.
