Srinagar, February 13: National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, has informed the agency that he will not be able to appear before them in Srinagar on Tuesday as he is currently out of town, according to official sources.
Sources stated that the Lok Sabha member from Srinagar conveyed his unavailability to the ED officials via email and a formal letter. Although he was requested to depose at the ED office in Srinagar on Tuesday, it has been reported that he is presently in Jammu.
This isn’t the first time the 86-year-old politician has been summoned by the central agency in this case. He was previously called on January 11, but did not appear then either.
The ED’s investigation revolves around alleged financial irregularities at the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). Farooq Abdullah was charge-sheeted by the Enforcement Directorate in 2022 regarding this matter.
The case pertains to the purported siphoning off of JKCA funds through transfers to various personal bank accounts of unrelated parties, including those of JKCA office-bearers, as well as through unexplained cash withdrawals from its bank accounts, as previously stated by the ED.
The agency’s probe is founded upon a 2018 charge-sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the same accused individuals.
