ED at Hemant Soren’s Delhi Residence After He Fails to Appear for Summons 9 Times
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 29th Jan. A team from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) reached the official residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday. This visit is related to a money laundering case connected to an alleged land scam.
According to official sources, the ED had previously sent a summon to Soren on January 27, asking him to join the investigation next week. Soren, who has ignored the ED’s summons nine times, has been asked to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or 31.
On January 20, the ED recorded Soren’s statement for the first time at his official residence in Ranchi. The statement was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the nearly seven-hour visit by investigators.
The fresh summons has been issued because the questioning was not completed on that day. Soren, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), has accused the BJP-led central government of using probe agencies to destabilize his government in Jharkhand as a reason for not attending the summons.
Earlier this month, the ED conducted raids on the premises of Soren’s press advisor, officials of Sahibganj district, and a former MLA as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged illegal mining in the state.
Since 2022, the ED has been investigating the flow of Rs 100 crore of proceeds from illegal mining operations in the state.
So far, the agency has arrested 14 individuals in connection with the case, including Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch IAS officer who served as the director of the state’s Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.
