The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Wednesday, December 15, carried out raids in different parts of Tamil Nadu at the premises of senior AIADMK leader and former Minister P Thangamani, in connection with a disproportionate assets case. Searches were carried out at 14 locations in Chennai on Wednesday morning. P Thangamani held the Electricity and Prohibition and Excise portfolios in the previous AIADMK regime. The FIR filed against the former minister on Tuesday, December 14, says that Thangamani and his family have been found to have amassed disproportionate income worth Rs 4.85 crore between 2016 and 2020.
The FIR names Thangamani as first accused, his son Dharanidharan as accused number two and his wife Santhi as accused number three. According to the FIR, Thangamani has “acquired and was in possession of immovable and movable assets in his name and in the names of his family members, relatives and others which are disproportionate to his known sources of income.”
The DVAC FIR says that Thangamani had savings of about Rs 2.60 crore between May 23, 2016 and March 31, 2020, and so the financial resources and properties that were acquired by him, his wife and his son should not have exceeded Rs 2,60,08,282.
“But he has acquired assets worth Rs. 4,85,72,019, in excess, out of his total income, which is disproportionate to the known sources of income,” the FIR says.
The FIR says that it is further suspected that Thangamani and his son “have acquired many more assets which are disproportionate to his known sources of income and kept in the name of their in-laws, relatives and associates in various places in and around Tamil Nadu and outside. Further, there is reliable information that they have invested huge amount from the ill-gotten money in crypto assets,” the FIR says.
The FIR says that Thangamani’s son Dharanidharan “showed huge business” under the name of Murugan Eaarth movers. “It is revealed that such huge business in the name of Murugan Eaarth Movers was only on paper and no actual business was carried,” the FIR says.
Thangamani, his wife and son have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. On Wednesday morning, searches were being held by sleuths of the DVAC in a number of locations in different parts of the state including Chennai, Karur and Namakkal among others, police said. He is the fifth former minister from the main opposition party in the state to come under the vigilance net over alleged disproportionate assets, with the others being MR Vijayabhaskar, SP Velumani, KC Veeramani and C Vijayabaskar.