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India.com
21-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Liquor Scam: Enforcement Directorate searches TASMAC offices, Tamil Nadu govt approaches Supreme Court
DMK vs Centre: Stalin govt replaces Rupee symbol in budget logo with Tamil letter, draws BJP's ire New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided at least 10 locations, including the residence of state-run liquor retailer Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) Managing Director S Visakan, film producer Akash Baskaran, SNJ Distilleries, and government contractors in connection with the alleged Rs 1,000 crore liquor scam. It is important to note that the development comes a week after the Madras High Court told the ED to continue with its investigation into the scam under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The court also dismissed a petition by TASMAC and the DMK dispensation seeking to declare the raids as 'illegal.' According to the reports, the ED officers recovered printouts of WhatsApp chats near IAS officer Visakan residence, containing details related to TASMAC's liquor procurement. According to the officials, the raids are in continuation with the searches by ED at TASMAC headquarters in the first and second week of March. They further added that the probe is now focused on the money generation avenues of the state-run liquor. Besides Visakan, Akash Baskaran, producer at Dawn Pictures and linked to the DMK's first family, was also searched by the ED. Tamil Nadu Government Moves Supreme Court The Tamil Nadu government has gone to the Supreme Court against the order of the Madras High Court that gave a free hand to the agency in the probe. 'The matter will be taken up for hearing in two or three days,' a senior Supreme Court registry official told TNIE. The state has filed its appeal against the April 23 order of Justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar of the Madras HC, dismissing the petitions filed by the state government and Tasmac against the raids conducted from April 6 to 8 at multiple places, including Tasmac headquarters.
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Brewing trouble for the DMK
A few months ago, a real estate broker took the owner of a small parcel of land on the outskirts of Chennai to meet a resourceful senior Minister in Tamil Nadu, hoping to strike a deal. The asking price was around ₹50 crore — well within the Minister's presumed financial capacity. But the deal never took off. 'People from above are watching closely. If I enter into any deal, they will pounce on me in no time,' the Minister reportedly said. The 'people from above' was a clear reference to Central enforcement agencies such as the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This atmosphere of heightened caution — fuelled by fears of ED scrutiny — is only likely to intensify among ruling DMK politicians, especially in the wake of the agency's recent searches and questioning related to what it has described as a ₹1,000 crore liquor scam. The spotlight has fallen on the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), the state-run liquor monopoly and a major revenue generator, rattling the M.K. Stalin-led government. The government's response has only underlined its unease. It first rushed to the Madras High Court in March to stall the initial round of ED searches, and later moved the Supreme Court seeking to transfer the writ petitions to another High Court. Both attempts proved unsuccessful. Last month, the Madras High Court dismissed a batch of three petitions filed by the government and TASMAC, refusing to declare the ED's search and seizure operation at TASMAC's Chennai headquarters between March 6 and 8 as illegal. The ED has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, based on 41 First Information Reports (FIRs) filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. These FIRs, dating from 2017 to 2024, allege various irregularities within TASMAC: unaccounted cash recovered from retail outlets and district offices, overpricing of liquor, bribes for transfers and appointments, and corrupt dealings between TASMAC officials and distilleries. Last week, the ED resumed its investigation, expanding its focus to include two wealthy private individuals reportedly close to the top echelons of power. These individuals are suspected of acting as conduits for laundering unaccounted money linked to TASMAC. In a cinematic twist, one of them reportedly managed to flee just minutes before ED officials arrived at his upscale apartment, boarding a flight to West Asia. Besides, TASMAC Managing Director S. Visakan was taken in for questioning and grilled for over two days. His statements were officially recorded. The direction of the case may well hinge on his disclosures. Meanwhile, the Opposition AIADMK has seized on printouts of purported mobile chat messages allegedly discarded near Mr. Visakan's residence on the day of the ED's visit. One such message, addressed to an unnamed 'brother,' discusses details of the TASMAC tender process, points to the involvement of DMK functionaries, refers to internal party dynamics, and acknowledges the existence of illegal bars that 'bring a bad name to TASMAC and the government.' Given how liquor-related cases pursued by the ED have evolved in Delhi and Telangana, it is too early to predict the trajectory of the investigation in Tamil Nadu. Excise and Prohibition Minister S. Muthusamy, who took over after V. Senthilbalaji exited the Cabinet last month, has accused the ED of acting out of political vendetta. He claimed that TASMAC officials are being harassed despite no substantial findings, and questioned the basis of the ₹1,000 crore figure cited by the agency. However, considering TASMAC has long faced allegations of favouritism towards politically linked distilleries and overcharging at retail outlets, including during the previous AIADMK regime, the DMK finds itself on the defensive. In this context, the High Court's remarks while rejecting the petitions are worth recalling: 'The submission that has been stressed throughout is that [a] political motive is at play. That this search is based on political vendetta... The right place to place this submission is before the people... They witness the actions of the persons in power and so the best judges to decide the case of politics would be the people... Eventually, what matters the most is the will of the people.'
New Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss urges state government to transfer Tasmac cases to CBI
CHENNAI: PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the state to transfer all 40 cases registered by the DVAC regarding alleged irregularities in Tasmac to the CBI for a fair probe. In a statement on Saturday, Anbumani alleged that efforts are under way to close the 40 cases citing insufficient evidence. He claimed that a few of these cases had already been dropped. Referring to the ongoing ED searches at the residence and office of Tasmac MD Visakan, Anbumani said revelations about the alleged scam are expected following the interrogations. He further said that after ED raid in March, the agency had alleged a scam of Rs 1,000 crore in Tasmac operations. The agency continued raids from Friday at the houses of Visakan and film producer Akash Baskaran 'linked to the ruling family'. Citing WhatsApp chat details reportedly collected by ED, Anbumani said evidence points to irregularities in liquor procurement, bar licencing and transportation contracts.
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
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- The Hindu
ED interrogates TASMAC Managing Director S. Visakan, conducts searches at 12 locations for the second day
The officers of Enforcement Directorate (ED) continued searches at 12 locations including the residences of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) Managing Director who is an IAS officer, a film producer and other individuals. Mr. Visakan was interrogated by the officers for a second consecutive day on Saturday. The ED's actions follow a directive from the Madras High Court on April 23, 2025, which criticised attempts to impede the agency's investigation into the alleged ₹1,000 crore scam in procurement of liquor to the State-run TASMAC. The court's order has prompted the probe, leading to searches at multiple locations, including the residence of TASMAC Managing Director Mr. Visakan and other individuals connected to the case. On Saturday, they conducted searches at the residences of Mr. Visakan in Manapakkam, KS Mart Kesavan, film producer Akash Baskaran in Alwarpet, businessman Devakumar in Anna Nagar, TANGEDCO contractor Rajesh Kumar, SNJ Distilleries manager Meganathan and businessman Babu. Sources said the ED officers have sealed the residence of businessman Ratheesh Velu in MRC Nagar. Akash is said to be producing films simultaneously starring Dhanush, Simbu, Sivakarthikeyan, and Atharvaa, with a combined investment of over ₹500 crore. During the search on Friday, the ED officers recovered documents and digital evidence, including printouts of WhatsApp conversations related to liquor procurement and tender processes. They interrogated by showing Whatsapp chats and other evidence, said sources.
