By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 26, 2020: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Baijayant Panda faces litmus test of coming clean after a Delhi based NGO ‘PATH’ alleged him of money laundering at a press conference on Monday.

The PATH alleged that Panda and his wife Jagi Mangat Panda are involved in round tripping of black money, money laundering and cheating the Indian Government with crores of tax revenue.

During the press conference the NGO made another explosive finding against OTV (Odisha Television Limited) a company owned and promoted by Baijayant Panda & his wife Jagi Mangat Panda. OTV (Odisha Television Limited) made transactions with off-shore black listed shell companies.

OTV bought a property in New Delhi on 25th Jan, 2019.The property belongs to Surangi Services Limited (SSL) company. OTV paid Rs.10 Cr to SSL. The Promoters of SSL having shareholding of over 90% are two off-shore shell companies based out of St.Kitts, Bahamas and Panama islands. Both companies are international shell companies formed by anonymous agents to launder black money.

It further alleged that both shell companies have invested crores of rupees in Baijayant and Jagi Mangat Panda’s other companies as a classic case of round tripping the black money.

“Black money was taken out of India and brought back through shell companies to purchase properties in India. OTV and other companies made deal with these companies which do not even exist to launder black money,” members of the NGO alleged.

Finlay & Messina are also investors in Ortel, another company owned by Panda’s family, and Ortel has 3.02 percent investment in OTV. The money comes from Bahamas as investment and goes back to Bahamas as earnings, it added.

They demanded immediate registration of a case by Enforcement Directorate against Panda and urged his companies be attached.

On 24th Jan, 2019, with all evidences and proofs, an activist filed a complaint with CBI, ED, CBDT, PMO & Delhi High Court against Baijayant Panda & Jagi Mangat Panda, it said.

After considering the plea of the activist, Delhi High Court on 7th February 2020 ordered central investigative agencies CBI, ED & CBDT to do a “Speedy investigation” of Baijayant Panda & Jagi Mangat Panda’s companies.

‘PATH’ also alleged that central agencies have not shown any sign of urgency in the matter, while the same central agencies have demonstrated great amount of speed and interest in raiding and investigating opposition leaders.

It’s not just the central govt but even the Odisha government has not pursued the matter to probe Baijayant Panda & Jagi Mangat Panda’s companies , ‘PATH’ alleged.

The investor off-shore companies that did transactions with OTV and Ortel were already dissolved in 2018 and yet in 2019 on paper they were shown as working entities.