ED interrogates Farooq Abdullah regarding J&K Cricket Association scam

Photo Credits: PTI file photo

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated the ex-Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Farooq Abdullah who held the post of regional National Conference (NC) president on Monday regarding alleged involvement in multi-million J&K Cricket Association scam.

According to the sources, Abdullah was quizzed at Rajbagh’s office located in Srinagar over involvement with alleged mishandling of more than Rs. 43 crore during his tenure as president of J&K Cricket Association.

Farooq Abdullah was earlier interrogated in 2019. In response to the on-going interrogation, Farooq Abdullah’s son, Omar Abdullah posted on Twitter, “The party will be responding to this ED summons shortly. This is nothing less than political vendetta coming days after the formation of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration. To set the record straight no raids are being conducted at Dr Sahib’s residence.”

About the scam:

Abdullah was first linked with the scam in 2012, when money was allegedly transferred into fictitious accounts of J&K Cricket Association officials. It was in 2015, that the J&K High Court transferred the investigation to CBI. Over the years, CBI filed a chargesheet against Farooq Abdullah, who was then the secretary of J&K Cricket Association, Salem Khan, working as a treasurer, Ahsan Mirza and senior executive of J&K bank, Bashir Ahmad.

Based on the CBI investigation, BCCI had provided Rs. 113 crore as grants from 2002 to 2011 for promoting cricket in the region. A sum of Rs. 43.69 crore was allegedly diverted to some forged accounts and subsequently drained off and mishandled. The ED further directed an investigation based on money-laundering regarding the J&K Cricket Association scam.