Mumbai, Jan 23 (PTI) A Mumbai court on Friday discharged NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal in a money laundering case pertaining to the construction of 'Maharashtra Sadan' in New Delhi.

The case relates to a 2005-2006 deal that the NCP leader, when he was state PWD minister, allegedly gave to a firm for its construction.

As per the Enforcement Directorate, Bhujbal and his family members had received kickbacks from construction firm K S Chamankar for the construction of Maharashtra Sadan. The probe agency had claimed the construction company had transferred money to firms in which the minister's son Pankaj and nephew Sameer Bhujbal were directors.

On Friday, special PMLA Judge Satyanarayan Ramjivan Navandar accepted the discharge application of the senior NCP leader and other accused in the case, a lawyer said.

The ED case is based on a FIR registered by the Anti Corruption Bureau against the NCP leader and his kin.

It is alleged that the original cost estimate for Maharashtra Sadan was Rs 13.5 crore, but was later increased to Rs 50 crore. As per the ED, Bhujbal got Rs 13.5 crore in kickbacks from the firm, which earned a profit of about Rs 190 crore from the construction of Maharashtra Sadan and other PWD works.

Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and five others were discharged in the special Anti-Corruption Bureau case in 2021. PTI AVI NP BNM

Maharashtra Sadan construction: minister discharged in PMLA money laundering case after court accepted discharge application linked to ED probe. Allegations under the PMLA arise from the Maharashtra Sadan 2005-2006 contract: ED alleges inflated costs and kickbacks, with transfers to companies linked to the minister's son and nephew, asserting an original estimate of Rs 13.5 crore was raised to Rs 50 crore, the firm earned about Rs 190 crore profit, and Rs 13.5 crore were illicit payments. The ED prosecution stemmed from an ACB FIR, and a special PMLA judge accepted discharge applications for the minister, relatives, and others.