Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has proposed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) record his statement at his secretariat on January 20 regarding a money laundering case associated with an alleged land scam. The ED had previously dispatched a letter on January 13, urging the Chief Minister to make himself available for questioning between January 16 and January 20, as per sources.
Following Soren's non-compliance with seven earlier summonses from the agency in relation to the case, a representative from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) submitted Soren's response to the ED's letter on Monday, January 15. The response conveyed that the Chief Minister would be accessible for the recording of his statement in the case on January 20, the sources added.
What's the case?
The investigation pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the ED. The agency has so far arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan who has served as the director of the state Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.
48-year-old JMM leader has been asked by the central agency to inform the investigating officer of the case about the date, venue and time of his choice so that his statement can be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Despite several summons issued to Soren, he has never deposed before the ED in connection with the case. He had filed a petition before the Supreme Court and then the Jharkhand High Court, seeking protection from the ED action and terming the summons "unwarranted".
What did the ED say?
Jharkhand Chief Minister was issued a 'last opportunity' by the investigating agency to record his statement in an alleged land scam days ago. Soren, in turn, replied to the agency, labelling the summons as 'illegal.'
"Since you have not come to the office of the Directorate of Enforcement in obedience to the summonses issued to you, we are giving you this last opportunity to record your statement under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at the place, date and time, mutually convenient to you as well as the undersigned (ED), which should be within 7 days of receipt of this notice/Summons," said the ED in its summons.
Numerous summons to Soren
It should be mentioned here that Soren was summoned by the ED earlier in mid-August, 2023, in connection with a land 'scam' case. Despite repeated summonses, the Jharkhand Chief Minister chose to overlook the calls, asserting his engagement in the Independence Day celebrations as the reason. Subsequent requests for his appearance on August 24 and September 9 were also dismissed by the CM, citing prior commitments. In response to his non-compliance, the agency had issued a fourth summons, directing Soren to present himself before the agency on September 23.
(With inputs from agencies)
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