CHANDIGARH: In a major political development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today questioned
former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah here in connection with the Rs 113 crore scam in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) for alleged money laundering.
Sources said that Abdullah presently a member of parliament from Srinagar of National Conference was questioned for five hours as he arrived at the ED office in Sector 18 at 12.30 PM and left at 5.30 PM. He was summoned by the agency officials in connection with the multi-crore J&K Cricket Association scam.
His statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act by the sleuths of the financial probe agency. From Chandigarh, he left for Delhi by the evening Shatabadi Express train.
The Enforcement Directorate had filed the money laundering case after taking cognisance of the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Abdullah in 2015 and later of the charge-sheet. The CBI had filed a charge sheet in July last year against Abdullah and three others for allegedly
misappropriating over Rs 43 crore from grants given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) for promoting the sport in the state between 2002-11 and for developing sports infrastructure and organising cricket matches. It has charged Abdullah and three
others the then JKCA general secretary MD Saleem Khan, the then treasurer Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, and J&K Bank executive Bashir Ahmad Misgar under sections of the Ranbir Penal Code related to criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.
The senior leader who once headed the state cricket association was last year in January interrogated by the CBI in this alleged scam as it was alleged that Rs 113 crore was siphoned off. It was in September 2015 that the Jammu and Kashmir High Court indicted the state police for failing to carry proper investigation in which Abdullah was named, it had then handed over the investigation of the alleged scam of JKCA to CBI.
As the court had then stated that as the president of JKCA he is a tall political personality and had served as union minister and chief minister of the state.
Abdullah had been refuting the allegation and had been claiming that his name was being dragged to tarnish his political image and reputation. His son Omar Abdullah had also earlier denied any wrongdoing.