Enforcement Directorate grills Farooq for 3 hours in J&K Cricket Association case

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New Delhi, May 31

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today questioned National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah for three hours in connection with a case relating to alleged financial irregularities in the J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) for over three hours and recorded his statement under provisions of the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA).

Officials said the questioning took place at the ED’s office at Rajbagh in Srinagar and Abdullah reached there at around 11 am.

Before going inside the ED office, the former CM reportedly linked his questioning to the forthcoming Assembly elections in J&K. “I won’t say much (about the summons)… there are elections to be held and they will trouble us till then,” he noted.

On May 27, the ED had summoned Abdullah to its Srinagar office. The 84-year-old three-time CM of the erstwhile state had recorded his statement in the same case in 2019. Abdullah was JKCA president from 2001 to 2012 and the scam is about alleged financial misappropriation between 2004 and 2009. The ED has already attached properties worth over Rs 21 crore, including immovable assets worth Rs 11.86 crore of Abdullah.

The ED initiated its probe against JKCA office-bearers on the basis of a case registered in Srinagar. The case was later transferred to the CBI.

The CBI has filed a chargesheet in the case against the former JKCA office-bearers for misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 43.69 crore.

Misappropriation of Rs 43.69 crore

A CBI chargesheet against J&K Cricket Association office-bearers says Rs 43.69 crore has been misappropriated.