NC leader asked to appear before Directorate today
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 10: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today summoned National Conference president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah for questioning in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).
The summons have asked Abdullah to depose at the ED office in Srinagar tomorrow. He was charge-sheeted by the agency, which investigates financial crimes, in the case in 2022.
The case involves siphoning of funds belonging to the JKCA, which were transferred to personal bank accounts of various people including the office bearers of the association. The agency started a money laundering investigation on the basis of a charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against office bearers of the association.
The allegations against Abdullah are that he “misused” his position as the president of the association and made appointments in the sports body so that the BCCI-sponsored funds could be laundered.
The NC president was the JKCA president from 2001 to 2012. The alleged scam, which is being investigated both by the CBI and the ED, apparently took place between 2004 and 2009.
The ED questioned Dr Abdullah several times in the past in connection with the JKCA scam.
The ED filed a chargesheet under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Abdullah before a Srinagar court in connection with the money laundering case in July 2022.
The court took cognisance of the ED complaint against Abdullah, Ahsan Ahmad Mirza and others and had asked them to appear before the court in connection with a money laundering case.
The ED had filed a supplementary prosecution complaint under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), before the Special PMLA Court in Srinagar, against Farooq Abdullah, Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, Mir Manzoor Gazanffer and others on June 4, 2022.
The supplementary complaint was filed after the ED attached movable as well as immovable assets to the extent of Rs 21.55 crore belonging to Abdullah and others.
ED had initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of charge sheet filed by CBI on July 11, 2018 against office bearers of JKCA on allegations of wrongful loss to JKCA and corresponding wrongful gain to the accused persons to the tune of Rs 43.69 crore. The quantum of proceeds of crime identified by ED in this case so far is Rs 51.90 crore out of which assets worth Rs 21.55 crore have been attached by ED.
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