Congress MLA Satish Sail Arrested by ED in Bengaluru Over Money Laundering Charges
In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Karnataka Congress MLA Satish K. Sail in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The arrest happened right during his questioning at the ED office in connection with money laundering allegations. This news has sparked fresh buzz around the ongoing illegal iron ore export scam in Karnataka.
Sources say ED officials nabbed Sail while he was cooperating with their inquiry. They plan to take him for a medical check-up soon and present him before a judge. More details on the money laundering case against Satish Sail are still trickling in, but it ties back to serious financial irregularities.
This isn’t the first time ED has zeroed in on Sail. Back in August, on the 13th and 14th, they raided his home and other spots linked to illegal iron ore exports. The searches covered Karwar, Goa, Mumbai, and Delhi—places where Sail owns properties. Officers uncovered illegal assets, including huge stashes of cash and gold jewels. They even packed everything—documents, gold, and cash—into two big trunks for seizure. This raid highlighted the scale of the alleged money laundering probe.
Sail now becomes the third Congress MLA from Karnataka facing arrest by central agencies recently. The others include Chitradurga’s K.C. Veerendra and Dharwad Rural’s Vinay Kulkarni. These cases are putting the spotlight on political figures in the state amid ED’s crackdown on financial crimes.
Remember the Belekeri illegal iron ore export case? It all started in 2010 when authorities filed a case, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) later submitted a charge sheet. Sail emerged as the second accused in the first case. Fast forward to October 26, 2024—a Special MP/MLA Court slapped him with seven years in jail across six related cases. The court also fined him a whopping Rs 44 crore for his role in the scam.
But there’s a twist. On December 21, 2024, the Karnataka High Court suspended Sail’s conviction in the illegal iron ore export case. The court ordered no by-election for the Karwar Assembly seat until his appeal wraps up. It also barred him from joining Assembly sessions, keeping the controversy alive.
As the ED money laundering investigation into Satish Sail unfolds, many eyes are on how this affects Karnataka politics. Stay tuned for updates on this high-profile arrest and the broader illegal mining probe.
