ED summons TASMAC MD, top officials in investigation into ₹1,000-crore liquor scam
The Hindu
ED summons top Tasmac officials in ₹1,000 crore liquor scam, revealing financial fraud and illicit payments in Tamil Nadu.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Thursday (April 24, 2025) summoned top officials in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) including its Managing Director and IAS officer S. Visakan in the alleged ₹1,000 crore liquor scam.
A day after the Madras High Court dismissed writ petitions filed by the Tamil Nadu government challenging searches conducted by the central agency in early March, the ED issued fresh summons to the officers to appear before the investigation officer, official sources said.
The officials, whose statements were recorded by the ED at the time of the searches, had sought more time to appear while responding to the summons issued earlier in the case. In the meantime, the plea of the State and Tasmac to declare as illegal the search and seizure operation was dismissed by the court, the sources said.
The ED had conducted searches at multiple locations across the State on March 6, 2025, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, for various offences related to Tasmac and its associated entities/persons.
The operation was based on several FIRs registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The alleged offences included Tasmac shops collecting money over and above the market retail price, distillery companies offering kickbacks to officials for supply orders, senior officials indulging in collection of bribes from the retail liquor shops and for transfer/posting of staff etc.
During the searches on Tasmac establishments, investigating officials seized incriminating data related to the offences, including indent orders favouring a few distillery companies, manipulation of tender conditions in the allocation of bar licences, and excess charge of ₹10-30 per bottle by the liquor outlets, involving the officials.
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