The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sent its seventh summons to Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren over an alleged money-laundering charge pertaining to a land scam in Ranchi on Friday night within a few hours of celebration of the completion of four years of the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government in the state.
Though there has been no official communique issued either by the ED or by the chief minister’s secretariat on the issue of the summons, sources in the ED zonal office at Ranchi confirmed the letter was delivered at the chief minister’s office on Friday late evening.
“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, which should be within seven days of receipt of this notice/Summons,” the letter reads informed the source in the ED office.
The ED source clarified that the letter was equivalent to a summons and informed that it asked the chief minister to specify the place, date and time within two days of receipt of this letter.
The ED had summoned Soren for the first time this year on August 14. Thereafter, there have been five summonses on August 24, September 9, September 23, October 4 and December 12.
“However, despite the issue of six summonses, you have not appeared before this office, citing reasons that are unfounded. This non-appearance is impeding and hindering the progress of the investigation in the present case,” the ED source quoted the letter sent to the chief minister’s secretariat.
