Enforcement Directorate grills Punjab ex-CM Channi in sand mining PMLA case

New Delhi/Jalandhar, April 14

Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi was questioned for over six hours by the ED in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged sand mining case in the state, officials said on Thursday.

The federal agency recorded the statement of the 59-year-old Congress leader under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and he left the Enforcement Directorate’s zonal office in Jalandhar late on Wednesday night.

I was summoned by the ED yesterday regarding the mining case. I attended and replied to the queries put by them to the best of my knowledge. A Challan in this case has already been presented by ED in the Hon’ble court .The authorities have not asked me to come again.

— Charanjit S Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) April 14, 2022

Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey was arrested in the case by the agency days before the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls. A charge sheet was filed against him and others named in the case early this month.

According to sources, the agency questioned Channi, who had earlier skipped a few summons, about his links with Honey and others and about certain visits his nephew made to the chief minister’s office.

He was also questioned about the allegations of certain transfers and postings of officials in the state as part of the illegal sand mining operations, sources said.

Channi resigned as the Punjab chief minister after the counting of votes on March 10 as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the state polls.

The Congress leader also lost the electoral battle from both the Assembly seats he contested — Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur.

The ED action in the case began on January 18 after it conducted raids against Honey and others and seized about Rs 7.9 crore in cash from his premises and about Rs 2 crore in cash from a linked person identified as Sandeep Kumar.