New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 7.25 crore of an associate of Jammu and Kashmir’s former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, the agency said.
The development comes in the money laundering case lodged against the office-bearers of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) involving Farooq Abdullah. The action has been taken against Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, Abdullah’s associate.
The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) had given JKCA around Rs 112 crore during 2002 and 2011.
In 2003, Mirza was appointed as the treasurer of JCKA by Abdullah, the then president, by allegedly flouting rules. Mirza was not elected to the post but Abdullah appointed him as treasurer through a resolution signed by him.
Abdullah has been accused of laundering money through Mirza. The ED had detected some suspicious transactions showing funds of JCKA were illegally transferred into the account of Mirza.
The ED learnt during the investigation that Mirza with the help of other officers-bearers misappropriated Rs 51.90 crore from JCKA’s funds. He spent this amount to repay his business associates and spent on personal things.
Earlier, the ED had attached properties of Abdullah, Mirza and his aide Manzoor Ghazanfar.
“Assets worth Rs 14.32 crore had already been attached by the ED in the case which includes properties worth Rs 11.86 crore of Abdullah,” an ED official said.
Gazanfar became elected treasurer in 2007 and he detected the alleged fraud. He told Abdullah about the illegal transaction buy the latter kept mum on the matter. ED also learnt that at the instruction of Abdullah, Gazanfar signed a few cheques which were deposited into the accounts belonging to Mirza.
The ED initiated a PMLA probe in the matter on the basis of CBI’s FIR and charge sheet filed in 2019.
The ED has learnt that Mirza opened several accounts in Jammu and Kashmir Bank on the basis of fake documents as per the instructions of Abdullah and laundered funds. Mirza was made a signatory of JCKA by Abdullah.
The ED has already filed a charge sheet in the matter.
The CBI had claimed in the charge sheet that funds of Rs 43 crore of JCKA were misappropriated by the accused.
–IANS