The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today summoned cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin in a money laundering case linked to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). The former president of the HCA, Mohammad Azharuddin, is accused of misappropriating funds during his tenure. This is the first time that the Congress leader has been summoned by the probe agency, with instructions to appear before the agency to clarify his role in the financial transactions under scrutiny.
Sources in ED informed that the case relates to alleged misappropriation of 20 crore rupees, allocated for the procurement of diesel generators and firefighting systems, among others, for the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal in Hyderabad. It may be recalled that the ED conducted searches under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, at nine locations in Telangana during November last.
The searches were conducted at the residences of those who served as the president, vice president, and secretary of the HCA and resulted in the recovery and seizure of digital devices, incriminating documents, and some unaccounted cash. The ED initiated an investigation on the basis of the FIRs registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Hyderabad, and the corresponding charge sheets filed by the ACB relating to criminal misappropriation of the funds of the HCA to the tune of 20 crore rupees.
