ED raids properties of ‘lottery king’ Santiago Martin in Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, Sikkim
The action follows a Madras High Court order overturning the closure of a money laundering case against the businessman.
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The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided at least 30 properties allegedly linked to “lottery king” Santiago Martin in Tamil Nadu, Sikkim and Kolkata, reported The Indian Express, quoting unidentified sources.
The operation, led by the central agency’s teams from Kerala, targeted Martin’s office and home in Coimbatore, in addition to several locations across Chennai and other cities.
The raids were prompted by a recent Madras High Court ruling that reopened an investigation into Martin’s alleged involvement in money laundering.
The case dates back to March 2012, when the Chennai Crime Branch seized Rs 7.20 crore in cash from the home of Martin’s associate Nagarajan.
Nagarajan had stated that the cash was linked to lottery sales involving Martin and his wife, Leema Rose. A first information report was subsequently registered against the three persons under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
In 2022, the Crime Branch filed a closure report in the matter citing a lack of evidence, which the Alandur Judicial Magistrate accepted.
The Enforcement Directorate later contested the case’s closure in the Madras High Court, which overturned the judicial magistrate’s order noting that there was substantial evidence to proceed with the investigation against Martin.
The High Court also said there had been several lapses in the original investigation.
The court highlighted issues including backdated stamp papers used in a...
