Virbhadra case: ED files chargesheet against LIC agent

New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against Life Insurance Corporation agent Anand Chauhan in the disproportionate assets case registered against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

The chargesheet was filed in the court of Special Judge Vinod Kumar, who fixed September 7 for consideration of the matter.

The ED told the court that further investigation regarding the role of Virbhadra Singh and his wife is continuing and it may file a supplementary chargesheet later in the case.

Chauhan is accused of laundering the alleged disproportionate assets acquired by Virbhadra Singh as Union Steel Minister.

Chauhan is accused of investing Virbhadra Singh's "tainted" money of Rs 5.14 crore in LIC policies purchased in Virbhadra's name and those of his family members, including wife Pratibha Singh, the ED said in its chargesheet.

The ED arrested Chauhan on July 8 from Chandigarh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

His was the first arrest made by the ED in the money laundering case against the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also probing the case.

The CBI reportedly found that Virbhadra Singh had accumulated assets worth Rs 6.03 crore in his name and in the name of his family members, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income, during his tenure as the Union Steel Minister from 2009 to 2011.