New Delhi, Nov 13 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday began questioning arrested Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan at its Delhi headquarters in connection with a money laundering case, officials said.
Khan, a former Uttar Pradesh minister, was remanded to ED custody for four days by a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad on Thursday.
The central agency arrested him outside the Rampur jail in UP on October 31, and he was lodged in the Dasna jail in Ghaziabad, UP.
Officials said the questioning and recording of the 78-year-old Khan’s statement was being conducted by its Lucknow zone investigating team at the ED headquarters in Delhi.
They said he was not taken to its Lucknow office, where the ED case is registered, due to his old age and related medical issues.
The ED has registered a money laundering case against Khan and others, taking cognisance of 58 FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police against him and his alleged associates.
The agency alleged that government funds meant for public works were diverted to construct the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, which the SP politician promoted.
The agency accused Khan of using his influence as the state’s cabinet minister for urban development and the UP Jal Nigam to facilitate the alleged irregularities.
The Rampur Development Authority had ordered the demolition of 38 buildings on the university campus in July, following which the university filed an appeal.
SP chief and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP government of pursuing a political vendetta against his former cabinet colleague, alleging that false cases had been lodged against him.
The ED conducted raids in the case in August and also questioned Khan.
The agency recently attached the land and buildings of the University under the anti-money laundering law. The assets have a current market value of Rs 1,170 crore, it said.
After his arrest by the ED, Khan moved the Supreme Court seeking bail but the apex court did not entertain his plea and transferred the petition to the Allahabad High Court, urging its Chief Justice to post the matter for hearing before a division bench on November 16.
(PTI News)
