ED questions Azharuddin for over 9 hours in money laundering case
Hyderabad, Oct 8: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday questioned former Indian cricket team captain and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin for over nine hours in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association, official sources said.
The federal agency recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
The 61-year-old former MP was first asked to depose before the ED on October 3 but he sought deferment of the notice and asked for a fresh date. The agency subsequently issued him fresh summons to appear on October 8.
Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama, Azharuddin reached the ED office on Fateh Maidan Road around 11 am. He left the ED office after 9 pm.
He told reporters while exiting that he was "cooperating" with the investigation.
"All the allegations which have been made were baseless, frivolous and done with a malafide intention. Beyond that I have nothing more to say. I don't want to go into the details...," he said.
The probe is related to alleged financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). The ED had conducted searches in connection with the irregularities in November last year.
Azharuddin's role during his tenure as the HCA president is under the scanner of the agency, the sources had said.
The former Indian skipper had unsuccessfully contested the Telangana Assembly polls held last year.
Following the registration of a case in connection with the alleged irregularities by the Telangana Police last year, he had said that the allegations levelled against him were "false" and "motivated" and it was "just a stunt" pulled by his rivals to ruin his reputation.
The money laundering case stems from three FIRs and charge sheets filed by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with alleged criminal misappropriation of funds of the HCA to the tune of Rs 20 crore.
One such police FIR was registered on the complaint of the HCA Chief Executive Officer Suneel Kante Bose after a forensic audit (interim report) found that certain transactions done on behalf of the HCA with third-party vendors were found to be "not genuine" and that the transactions were carried out in a manner "detrimental" to the interest of the association.
The police charge sheets contain "allegations of serious irregularities in the procurement of DG sets, firefighting systems and canopies for the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium constructed in Uppal, Hyderabad," the ED had earlier said in a statement.
According to the charge sheets, despite deadlines, several works were delayed inordinately, leading to escalated costs and budget enhancements and corresponding losses to the HCA.
It was found that the office bearers of the HCA, including its then secretary, president and vice-president and others, in collusion with private parties, "arbitrarily" got various tenders and works allotted to preferred vendors/contractors at higher than market rates without following proper tender processes and in many cases even before the receipt of quotations, the agency had alleged.
Advance payments were made to many contractors but no work was done by them, it added.
The ED had raided the premises of former office bearers of the HCA, including former vice president and cricketer Shivlal Yadav, Congress MLA and ex-HCA president Gaddam Vinod, former HCA secretary Arshad Ayub apart from the office of a company called S S Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and the residential premises of its managing director Satyanarayana.
The ED had said its raids undertaken last year led to the seizure of digital devices, "incriminating" documents and "unaccounted" cash of Rs 10.39 lakh.
One of the observations made in the forensic report was that "Mohammad Azharuddin, the then President of the Association in the 9th Apex Council meeting held on March 3, 2021 had sought to take up discussions regarding firefighting equipment. However, subsequently without assigning any reasons, the tender was not allotted to any of the bidders. Thereafter, the HCA had floated a second tender for the same work." Azharuddin is a Padma Shri and Arjuna Award recipient. He began his political innings with a win from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in 2009. He is also a working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).
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Siddaramaiah will continue as CM, says DCM DK Shivakumar
Raichur (Karnataka), Oct 8: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday once again ruled out the possibility of replacing the chief minister, as he asserted that the incumbent Siddaramaiah would continue in the post.
His comments have come in the wake of demands by opposition parties for Siddaramaiah's resignation, and behind-the-scenes political activities within the ruling Congress, following charges against the chief minister in the MUDA site allotment case.
"There is no need for anyone from Congress to discuss or hold meetings. The chief minister has nothing to do with it (case). Investigation is on in accordance with law. Let's see later. Why unnecessarily discuss things now? It has nothing to do with it now," Shivakumar said.
Shivakumar was responding to senior Congress leader and former Speaker K B Koliwad's statement that Prime Minister Narendera Modi "going to villages" and raising MUDA issue during the Haryana poll campaign had affected the party's prospects there.
Koliwad had earlier too said that Siddaramaiah should resign over the MUDA 'scam' keeping the party's interests in mind and to avert further embarrassment, adding that he could become the CM again after coming out clean.
Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, ruling out the chief minister's resignation, said: "there won't be any change."
Asked about the alleged "2.5 years agreement" between him and Siddaramaiah for CM post, Shivakumar said, "that is a different matter, our government will be there, also CM will be there."
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, a powerful leader from the politically influential Vokkaliga community, for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
Later speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Shivakumar, in response to a question that some Congress leaders were lobbying the Congress central leadership for CM post in Delhi, said, "no lobby or declaration."
Asked about Minister Satish Jarkiholi being hailed as the next CM by his supporters, he said, "I don't know about it, you ask him. Our Chief Minister is Siddaramaiah. We are working under him, and will continue to do so."
To a question about him becoming CM, he said, "now Siddaramaiah is there (as CM)."
Siddaramaiah is facing the Lokayukta and ED probes into alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Siddaramaiah's wife, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others are named as other accused in the case by Lokayukta.
Commenting on the poll results in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, Shivakumar said the Congress was confident that voters would vote for the party with an absolute majority, but the results have come against the belief in Haryana. However, in Jammu and Kashmir the results have come in favour of INDI Alliance as expected, and "people have saved democracy."
The party will look into what went against it in Haryana, he said. "It's a lesson for us, and, accordingly, the party will take further steps cautiously, keeping the verdict of the people in mind..."
