The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 19.59 crore in the case against self-styled 'Lottery King' Santiago Martin and others, the agency said on Thursday.
Martin Santiago, better known as 'Lottery King' Martin, is a business tycoon who built his empire by printing and selling lottery tickets. Having started out as a labourer in Yangon, Myanmar, he returned to India, starting his business in Tamil Nadu in 1988, and slowly expanded to Karnataka and Kerala. But in 2003, Martin had to take his business outside Tamil Nadu, after the state government banned lotteries.
The attached properties by ED consist of various immovable assets in the form of vacant lands situated in Tamil Nadu.
The federal agency attached the property under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of a charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation's Anti Corruption Branch in Kochi against S. Martin and Others under the Sections of Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998.
Investigation under PMLA revealed that the Partners of M.J. Associates, Santiago Martin and N. Jayamurugan, made an unlawful gain with a corresponding loss to the government of Sikkim to the extent of Rs 9,10,29,87,566 on account of inflating the Prize-Winning Tickets claim for the period from April 1, 2009, to August 31, 2010, which is nothing but proceeds of crime under the PMLA, 2002.
Santiago Martin, his companies and others have invested the parts of the proceeds of crime generated from lottery business in immovable properties through more than 40 Companies, which were created in the name of their family members and other associates to project the same as untainted properties.
Santiago Martin, his companies namely Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd; Martin Builders Pvt Ltd; Daison Land and Development Pvt Ltd have acquired immovable properties worth Rs 19.59 crore from the loans and advance given by Santiago Martin and his family members.
Earlier the ED has attached assets worth Rs 258 crore. With the present attachment, the total attachment in the case has reached Rs 277.59 crore.
On April 30, 2019 officials from the Income Tax Department had raided the properties of Martin Santiago, who ran a lottery business. The search operation continued for four days and led to the seizure of Rs 5.8 crore in cash and Rs 24 crore worth of gold and diamonds.
Searches were simultaneously conducted in 70 locations across India.
( With inputs from ANI )
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