Srinagar- The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has filed a chargesheet against former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah and some others in connection with its money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).
The prosecution complaint was filed on June 4 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Srinagar, it said in a statement.
The ED has also arraigned Ahsan Ahmad Mirza and Mir Manzoor Gazanffer, both former treasurers of JKCA, and some others as accused in the chargesheet.
The court has summoned the accused to appear before it on August 27, it said.
Mirza was arrested by the ED in September, 2019, and a chargesheet was filed against him in November that year. The trial is underway.
Abdullah has been questioned multiple times by the agency in this case.
The federal probe agency has attached assets belonging to Abdullah and others worth Rs 21.55 crore under three separate orders issued by it in the past.
“The case relates to the siphoning off the funds of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association by way of transfer to various personal bank accounts of unrelated parties, including those of office-bearers of JKCA and by way of unexplained cash withdrawals from JKCA bank accounts,” the ED said.
The agency’s case is based on a 2018 chargesheet filed by the CBI against the same accused.
The CBI chargesheet, that also names former accountants Bashir Ahmad Misgar and Gulzar Ahmad Beigh, alleged the “misappropriation of JKCA funds amounting to Rs 43.69 crore” from grants given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to promote the sport in the erstwhile state between 2002 and 2011.
The ED had earlier said its probe found that JKCA received Rs 94.06 crore from BCCI in three bank accounts during the financial years 2005-2006 to 2011-2012 (up to December 2011).
It had alleged that several other bank accounts were opened under JKCA into which the funds were transferred.
The new bank accounts as well as the previously existing ones were later used for laundering JKCA funds, it said.
Dr Farooq Shall Stick To Truth: NC
The National Conference on Tuesday said its president Farooq Abdullah will always stick to the truth and vindicate himself in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association money laundering case.
The Srinagar MP will cooperate with the investigation agencies, it said.
This comes days after the principal district and sessions judge, Srinagar summoned Abdullah on August 27 on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him and others in the JKCA money laundering case.
Abdullah was questioned by the ED for over three hours here on May 31.
“Dr Farooq Abdullah shall always stick to the truth, no matter how stories are fabricated, truth manipulated and dissent suppressed however he will cooperate with the agencies and vindicate himself,” the National Conference said in a tweet.
Abdullah was JKCA president from 2001 to 2012. The scam being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED is about alleged financial misappropriation between 2004 and 2009.
The ED has already attached properties worth over Rs 21 crore in the case. These include Rs 11.86 crore of immovable assets of Abdullah.
The ED claimed its probe so far has “revealed that Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, in connivance with other office-bearers of the JKCA, had misappropriated JKCA funds to the tune of Rs 51.90 crore and utilised proceeds of crime for settling his personal and business liabilities”.
It initiated the money laundering probe against JKCA office-bearers on the basis of a case registered at the Rammunshi Bagh police station here.
The case was later transferred to the CBI on the high court’s directions.
The CBI has filed a charge sheet in the case against former JKCA office-bearers for misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 43.69 crore.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
