New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed charge sheet against former Odisha-based Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer Abhya Kant Pathak and his son Akash under the anti-money laundering law.
The ED was probing alleged possession of disproportionate assets by the duo.
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Bhubaneswar has taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint, filed against the father-son duo on August 18, the federal agency said in a statement.
The charge sheet has been filed with a “prayer for conviction of the accused persons and confiscation of the proceeds of crime”, it said.
Pathak, a 1987-batch IFoS officer, was compulsorily retired by the Centre on the recommendation of the Odisha government following the registration of a vigilance case against him in November 2020 for alleged possession of disproportionate assets.
The officer last worked as the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (plan, programme and afforestation) in the Odisha government.
The ED case stems from this Odisha vigilance bureau FIR that accused Pathak of “misusing his official position and amassing ill-gotten wealth to an extent of Rs 9.35 crore”.
The agency said Akash Kumar Pathak was also booked for allegedly “duping gullible people in lieu of providing jobs in Tata Motors.” Apart from attaching assets worth over Rs 1 crore, a BMW car of the Pathaks was also seized by the Enforcement Directorate.
