TMC alleges ED searched party office for 10 hours after finding nothing

Trinamool Congress alleges the ED continued a search at MP Nadimul Haque's premises for hours despite knowing it was a party office. The party claims the search was over in 2 hours but officials stayed for 10 more, finding nothing.

TMC slams ED's 'so-called search'

Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continued its search at the premises of the party's Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque for several hours despite realising that the premises were being used as a party office and that the MP did not reside there.

TMC said the “so-called search” was completed within two hours by 1 pm, after which the ED officials allegedly remained at the premises for nearly 10 more hours awaiting instructions before leaving after 10 pm. “The so-called search was completed in two hours by 1 pm. The ED officials then merely sat for ten hours awaiting instructions and left after 10 pm,” the AITC said in a statement. The party further claimed that “nothing was found during the search”.

“In the first few hours, ED realised that the premises are used as a TMC office & Nadimul Haque does not reside there. Yet they continued to search, hoping to find TMC confidential files,” the party alleged.

Details of Money Laundering Probe

The statement came a day after the ED conducted searches at seven locations across Delhi, West Bengal and Jharkhand in connection with an alleged money laundering case involving Haque and Akhbar-E-Mashriq Pvt Ltd, an Urdu daily newspaper.

The ED's Kolkata zonal office team conducted searches at premises in Kolkata, Delhi and Ranchi in connection with the case against Akhbar-E-Mashriq Pvt Ltd and its director Mohd Nadimul Haque.

The agency's action was part of a money laundering investigation into alleged financial transactions involving the newspaper and its director. The newspaper has also been accused of promoting communal disharmony and engaging in illegal transactions involving funds from suspicious sources.

The search operation was launched early Monday based on certain inputs and covered the premises linked to the TMC MP, the office of the newspaper and other locations. The searches were conducted in coordination with security forces and the concerned state police forces.

Officials said an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was recorded by the ED on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate in West Bengal.

Officials said the case relates to "allegations concerning publication and dissemination of material promoting communal disharmony and also contains allegations regarding illegal transactions, unaccounted cash transactions and funding from suspicious sources."

The ED action is part of its probe to trace the alleged proceeds of crime and establish the financial trail linked to the transactions under investigation. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)