Breaking News: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren ready to join ED probe after ‘proper summons’ 

SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA

Ranchi, January 2: Pushed to the wall by the hard knocks of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Chief Minister Hemant Soren said he was ready to cooperate with the investigating agency in investigating the land scam in Ranchi if a ‘proper summons’ was served.

According to sources, it was said to be a significant climb down by Hemant Soren, who had earlier skipped six summonses, dubbing them as illegal.

Summons selectively leaked to media

In buttress his point, Soren had said in his letter that the summonses were selectively leaked to the media even before they reached him. “So, it was aimed at maligning his image and destabilising the government,” he alleged and added that the ED made him face the media trial.

Notably, Hemant Soren has jumped the two-day deadline, which the ED set on December 29 to record his statement at the place, date and time mutually convenient to him and the federal investigating agency.

In its seventh and last summons, the ED also set a week’s deadline to reply to its questions about the land scam in Ranchi.

Also read: Hemant Soren or Kalpana will fight election from Gandey, says Jharkhand MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad 

Now, all eyes are on the next move of the ED, which had made it clear that the seventh summons was the last one and failure to comply would lead to the presumption that he was intentionally evading the investigation and wilfully disobeying summons.

In its letter, the ED also specified that it wants to record the CM’s response to the documents seized from Ranchi  District Revenue Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad and his properties. The agency has lodged a case in this regard for tampering and falsification of  government records.

 CM’s query after the sixth summons 

In response to the sixth summons, Soren had asked the agency to let him know in what capacity he was summoned. He had also said that he had already submitted details of his properties to the ED.

 Section 50 of the PMLA Act 

The ED, in its letter, has said  that it was giving him the last opportunity to record his statement under

Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at the place, date and time mutually convenient to him as well as the ED officer, which should be within seven days of receipt of this notice/Summons.

Section 50 empowers the ED to summon any person during any investigation or proceedings under the PMLA.