Rohit Pawar Seeks Discharge in MSC Bank ED Money Laundering Case After EOW Closure Report Accepted

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rohit Pawar has approached a special court seeking discharge in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSC Bank) fraud.

The move comes days after a special court dealing with cases involving MPs and MLAs accepted a closure report filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the original fraud investigation.

Apart from Pawar, businessman Rajendra Ingwale, along with NCP leaders Prajakt Tanpure and Subhash Deshmukh, have also approached the court seeking similar relief.

ED Case Based on EOW Investigation

The case initially began when the Economic Offences Wing registered a complaint alleging irregularities related to the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank. This case later became the predicate offence for a money laundering investigation launched by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED had relied on the EOW’s fraud case to initiate its probe into alleged financial irregularities involving the accused individuals and related firms.

Court Accepts Closure Report

After conducting its investigation, the Economic Offences Wing filed closure reports before the court on two occasions, stating that the allegations could not be substantiated.

Last month, the special court accepted both closure reports submitted by the EOW. In doing so, the court rejected objections raised by the Enforcement Directorate and other complainants who had opposed closing the case.

The acceptance of the closure report effectively ended the original criminal case related to the alleged fraud.

Defence Argues PMLA Case Cannot Continue

Following the closure of the primary offence, Pawar moved the court on Friday through his lawyer Kushal Mor seeking discharge from the ED’s money laundering case.

The defence has argued that once the predicate offence has been closed, the money laundering proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act cannot legally continue.

According to the plea, the ED case is directly dependent on the existence of the underlying criminal offence, and therefore the case should be dismissed.

Court to Decide Next Course

The special court is now expected to examine the discharge applications filed by Pawar and other accused individuals.

Legal experts note that under the PMLA framework, the continuation of a money laundering investigation often depends on the status of the original criminal case. The court’s decision will determine whether the ED’s proceedings can move forward or whether the accused will be discharged from the case.