Enforcement Directorate summons Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in illegal mining case
The ED had earlier arrested the Chief Minister's aide Pankaj Mishra and two others in the case. The ED also recovered a passbook of Hemant Soren and some cheques signed by him from the home of Mishra.
FollowThe Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and asked him to appear before the agency for questioning in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case in connection with illegal mining.
The federal investigation agency has requested that Soren, 47, appear before it on Thursday at its regional office in the state capital Ranchi. In order to make the necessary security measures prior to his interrogation, the ED has also sent a letter to the commissioner of the Jharkhand Police.
According to ED sources, Soren would be interrogated and required to make a statement under the PMLA in relation to the financial records found at the home of the detained suspect Pankaj Mishra.
Also Read |Â Detailed and extensive inquiry must on Morbi bridge collapse: PM Modi
A passbook and a chequebook, together with two of Soren's signed checks, were confiscated by ED last month from the residence of his accused close friend Pankaj Mishra. Mishra was previously detained by the ED and is currently being held in judicial custody together with Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash, who are also rumoured to be close to the Jharkhand CM.
In connection with a case involving suspected cases of illegal mining and extortion, the ED raided Mishra and his accused collaborators on July 8 at 19 sites in Sahibganj, Barhait, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki, and Barharwa in Jharkhand. Till date, the ED has identified proceeds of crime relating to illegal mining to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore in this case.
Additionally, the agency confiscated and collected a number of files containing bank records for Hemant Soren and his family members from the residences of other suspects who are under investigation by authorities in the illegal mining case.
Also Read |Â Tithwal, a village in Kashmir along LoC hopes divided bridge will bridge the divide
The investigation agency also claimed in its chargesheet that Mishra actively participated in illicit mining and the diversion of millions of rupees on the Chief Minister of Jharkhand's orders thanks to his strong friendship with Soren.
