ED attaches Rs 55 crore worth of 'benami' land of DMK MP A Raja in Coimbatore

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it has attached a "benami" asset worth Rs 55 crore of DMK MP A Raja -- 45 acres of land in Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu -- under the anti-money laundering law.

The federal agency said in a statement the land was purchased by a company allegedly linked to Raja, in lieu of granting environmental clearance to a Gurugram-based real estate company by the leader during his stint as the Union minister for environment and forests between 2004-07.

The land is held in the name of a "benami" company of Raja, the Enforcement Directorate said.


Benami means 'no name' or 'without name' and such properties are those in which the real beneficiary is not the one in whose name the property has been purchased.

The 59-year-old Raja is currently a DMK MP from the Nilgiris Lok Sabha seat.

The politician has been earlier in the cross hairs of the ED when his role was investigated and a charge sheet was filed against him by the agency in connection with its money laundering probe in the 2G spectrum allocation case.