Bhubaneswar, May 13: Enforcement Directorate today sought co-operation of the state government in dealing with various cases related to money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The directorate’s workshop assumed significance here as the state is badly hit by coal block allocation and deposit mobilisation scams. In both the cases, the CBI has started its probe. While the Enforcement Directorate has lodged 16 cases under PMLA in connection with coal block allocation, it is yet to file any case in regard to the activities of money mobilisation companies. The cases related to the coal block scam are in connection with the alleged irregularities in allocation of Talabira coal block.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is also in a soup following his recommendation of allocating coal blocks to the private companies. These recommendations are under the scrutiny of the CBI.

A brainstorming session, presided over by the directorate’s director Rajan Katoch, also discussed how properties confiscated by various agencies could be sold and the sale proceeds be distributed among people who lost their properties to various Ponzy companies. Senior officials of Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, state police, central excise and customs department, passport office, airports authority and narcotics department also attended the meeting.

Under the PMLA, the Enforcement Directorate and other agencies have no authority to sell properties and distribute the sale proceeds.

“We had a discussion on that issue and a proposal was passed which could be forwarded to the highest body for presentation to the Parliament to enact a law in this regard,” said a senior official.

Activities of as many as 44 fraudulent companies, including big-time operators such as Sea Shore group, Artha Tatwa, Bengal-based Saradha group, Astha and Flourish India, have come under the CBI’s scanner following a directive from the Supreme Court. Crime Branch, which was entrusted with the probe, has so far lodged 441 cases against 163 such companies with charge sheets filed in 335 cases. The Crime Branch has proposed attachment of property of 10 companies, of which interim government approval for attachment has been granted to eight companies. But, the people are yet to get their money back.

The Enforcement Directorate also presented a case with the support of Bengal police on how it seized the properties of the Saradha group.

Chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra said: “The provision of sales of the attached properties is also being discussed here. The Parliament will have to pass a law to this effect.”

The Enforcement Directorate has also plans to set up a full-fledged office here.