ED summons Mahua Moitra, Mukul Roy in separate cases

The ED summon was sent on Thursday asking Moitra to appear before them on February 19 for questioning in the FEMA contravention case

MP, 15 February 2024, Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is learnt to have summoned Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra for questioning in the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) contravention case.

The ED summon was sent on Thursday asking Moitra to appear before them on February 19 for questioning in the FEMA contravention case. However, it is reportedly learnt that Moitra has said she has no knowledge of the summon and said she will be sending a letter to the ED via her lawyer saying such allegations cannot be brought against her. 

 Coincidentally, on Thursday, Moitra submitted her responses to a CBI questionnaire regarding allegations of corruption in her Parliamentary inquiries, according to officials. She is under CBI probe where the central agency is conducting a preliminary inquiry into allegations referred by the Lokpal. Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha for allegedly accepting gifts from business tycoon Darshan Hiranandani to pose questions against the Adani group in Parliament. 

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and an advocate Jai Anand Dehadrai had brought the allegations against her. However, Moitra alleged it was a conspiracy against her by the BJP to stop her from questioning the Adani Group.

The CBI is currently reviewing her responses and will subsequently submit a report to the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, which initially referred the matter to the agency. Meanwhile, Mukul Roy too has been summoned by the ED on Thursday asking him to appear before them in their Delhi office. 

It was learnt that he was summoned in connection with the Alchemist chit fund case which allegedly involves money laundering to the tune of Rs 1,900 crore. Roy’s son Subhranshu Roy, said that his father is in no condition, health-wise, to travel to Delhi for facing the ED interrogation. 

 Meanwhile, Uttam Barik, MLA of Patashpur in East Midnapore was summoned by the Income Tax (I-T) department on Thursday due to alleged discrepancies in his I-T returns. He has been asked to appear before the officials of the I-T department at the Ayakar Bhavan on Friday at 2 pm. 

Barik, who is also the Sabhadhipati of East Midnapore Zilla Parishad, has been asked to bring the documents related to his business for the period between 2016 and 2022. Barik however, alleged that it is a political vendetta as he was summoned by the I-T department earlier also.