Farooq Abdullah Summoned For Questioning In Money Laundering Case

Veteran Jammu and Kashmir leader and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has again been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case. The 86-year-old, who represents Srinagar in the Lok Sabha, was summoned in the same case last month. But citing health reasons, he did not appear at the offices of the agency in Srinagar.

He is the latest Opposition leader -- after Jharkhand's former Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal -- to be called in for questioning ahead of the national elections due in summer. Mr Soren has now been arrested after repeated no-show.

The case involves alleged siphoning of funds belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association or JKCA, which were apparently being transferred to personal bank accounts of various people, including the office bearers of the association.

Between 2001 and 2012, the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control, India) had given Rs 112 crore to JKCA for the development of cricket in Jammu and Kashmir.

The money laundering probe started in 2018 after the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a chargesheet against the office-bearers.

Mr Abdullah, who was the chairman of the cricket association at the time, was chargesheeted by the Central agency in 2022.

The chargesheet against him claims that during his tenure as the cricket association chief, Mr Abdullah diverted the funds received by the officials and others in the name of development of the game and used it for personal gains.

The funds were first sent to many private bank accounts and were later divided among the accused, the chargesheet alleged.