ED summons Farooq Abdullah for questioning in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has once again summoned National Conference president Farooq Abdullah in connection with a money laundering case related to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, PTI reported, citing sources.

The 86-year-old politician has been asked to appear at the ED office in Srinagar on Tuesday for questioning. Previously summoned on January 11, Abdullah did not attend, and it is uncertain if he will appear this time, the report added.

Why has ED issued a summon to Farooq Abdullah?

The ED is investigating allegations of financial irregularities within JKCA, including alleged diversion of funds to personal bank accounts and unexplained cash withdrawals.

Farooq Abdullah was charge-sheeted by the ED in 2022, following a 2018 charge-sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the same accused.

₹113-crore alleged fraud case

The case involves a ₹113-crore alleged fraud within the JKCA from 2004 to 2009, during Farooq Abdullah’s presidency from 2001 to 2012.

Investigated in 2019 and 2020, ED accused Abdullah of misusing his position, alleging he manipulated appointments to facilitate the laundering of BCCI-sponsored funds.

The ED attached properties worth ₹12 crore in December 2020. Abdullah contested this action in the high court and claimed that the properties were either ancestral or acquired before the alleged offense, with no connection to the purported crime.