Edited By Sangeeta Das
In a significant turn of events, National Conference chief and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate or ED on Thursday. It is in connection with alleged financial irregularities within the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. Abdullah is the latest Opposition figure to face scrutiny from the Central probe agency.
Two other leaders are in the investigative spotlight. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren faced summons in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is under probe by the ED in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.
Summon for 86 years’ old Abdullah requires him to appear at the ED office in Srinagar. The MP from the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat had been chargesheeted by the ED, specializing in financial crime investigations, in 2022.
The case revolves around the siphoning of funds from the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, with transfers made to personal bank accounts, including those of the association’s office bearers. The ED initiated a money laundering investigation based on a chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI against the association’s office bearers.
The accusations against Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, suggest he “misused” his position as the association’s president. Allegedly, he made strategic appointments within the sports body to facilitate the laundering of funds sponsored by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Abdullah held the position of JKCA president from 2001 to 2012. The alleged scam, currently under investigation by both the CBI and the ED, is said to have transpired between 2004 and 2009.
This development demonstrates number of Opposition leaders facing legal scrutiny for their involvement in corruption, and the outcomes of these investigations will undoubtedly shape the political landscape in the region.
