Hours before CBI special court is set to pronounce its verdict on the ‘fodder scam’ against to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday filed a chargesheet against RJD MP Misa Bharti, Lalu Yadav’s daughter, and her husband in an alleged money laundering case.

The agency filed the chargesheet before Special Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra at Patiala House Court. The judge has listed the matter for consideration in the first week of January.

The chargesheet against Bharti is under under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, an ED official said.

The ED in July had also filed a supplementary chargesheet against Bharti’s chartered accountant Rajesh Agrawal in connection with the case in which it named around 35 accused, including businessmen brothers Surendra Jain and Virendra Jain and some companies.

Agrawal was accused of converting black money into legal source of income through dubious transactions with the help of Surendra Kumar Jain and his brother Virendra Jain — known as Jain brothers.

The ED arrested the Jain brothers on March 20. In May, the ED filed its first chargesheeet in the case and thereafter, arrested Agrawal on May 22. Agrawal has also been accused of helping Bharti’s husband’s company, Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd “with some transactions”.

Earlier this month, the ED also questioned Bharti here in connection with the case and also raided three premises in Delhi belonging to Bharti and her husband, including the farmhouses located in the high-class localities of Ghitorni, Bijwasan and Sainik Farms.

Lalu’s fate

Meanwhile, the CBI special Court in Ranchi will pronounce their verdict in the ‘Fodder scam; in which former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav is an accused.

The case pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994, according to media reports.

According to a lawyer, hearing related to fraudulent withdrawal, was completed on December 13 in a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court of Ranchi.

Special CBI judge Shivapal Singh fixed December 23 for pronouncing the judgment and asked all the accused to remain present in the court on that day.

In all, there were 34 accused in the case, out of which 11 died during the course of the trial, while one turned CBI approver and admitted the crime.

The RJD chief has already been convicted in another fodder scam case pertaining to the fradulent withdrawal of Rs 37.70 crore from the Chaibasa district treasury when Bihar was an undivided state. The conviction cost him his Lok Sabha seat and disqualified him from contesting elections.

Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra have already been convicted in another fodder scam case and they are out on bail.

(With agency inputs)