The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 10 locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh today as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, associated with former Uttar Pradesh minister and Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan.
Probe Into Alleged Diversion of Government Funds
The investigation, which follows a First Information Report registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police, is connected to the alleged diversion of government contract funds through private contractors and their subsequent use for various purposes, including the creation of assets linked to the trust and the university.
According to the ED, its probe has revealed financial transactions between certain private contractors and the trust.
The agency suspects that contractors who secured government contracts diverted funds towards the trust and the university. These transactions allegedly included sizeable donations and payments related to construction work.
ED Traces Money Trail
Searches were conducted to trace the alleged proceeds of crime and establish the flow of funds between the contractors and entities linked to the trust and university.
The ED is also examining financial records, documents and digital evidence that could shed light on the alleged diversion and utilisation of government funds.
The searches were carried out by the ED's Lucknow Zonal Office under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The investigation is in progress, and the allegations are yet to be established in court.
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