Ashok Chavan, who had to quit as Maharashtra chief minister after being named in the Adarsh housing scam, faces money-laundering charges in the same case.
The Enforcement Directorate has registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) against Chavan and 13 others, stating that prima facie an offence could be constituted under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ECIR stated that the accused persons, who had obtained clearance to construct the Adarsh building in Colaba, bought flats there at very low prices compared to the market value and then passed them on to others to project the property as untainted.
One of the flats that Chavan allegedly bought in the Adarsh building is in the name of his mother-in-law who has passed away. He is believed to own at least two other apartments there.
The directorate had been conducting a parallel investigation into the charges of alleged money laundering by housing society members based on the replies submitted by 103 flat owners to the income tax department last year.