The state govt granted prosecution approval of suspended IAS officer, Sanjeev Hans, in connection with the money laundering case.
On Monday, the govt representatives submitted the required document to the special court of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Patna, paving the way for the legal proceedings against the 1997-batch officer.
The ED had submitted a chargesheet in Dec 2024 in a special court, naming five people, including Hans and former MLA Gulab Yadav, in the money laundering case.
The court did not proceed against Hans, awaiting official sanction for his prosecution. Sources indicated that with the recent approval granted against Hans, the court will now commence legal proceedings in this matter.
Hans, who served as the principal secretary of the energy department and the CMD of the Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited, was arrested from his residence in Patna on Oct 18, after the ED unearthed proof that he allegedly amassed assets disproportionate to his known source of income through corrupt practices between 2018 and 2023.
During the search of locations linked to Hans and his associates in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata between Sept 10 and 12, the ED recovered unaccounted Rs 87 lakh in cash, 13 kg silver bullion, 2 kg gold, and jewellery worth Rs 1.5 crore.
The Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) in Sept last year had registered FIR against Hans in connection with the prevention of corruption and disproportionate assets, on the direction of the ED. This FIR served as the foundation for the ED's investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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