Farooq Abdullah Cites Health Reasons, Seeks Postponement of ED Appearance

Hyderabad: Farooq Abdullah, the president of the National Conference (NC) and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has communicated to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that he will not be able to appear before them on January 11 in connection with a money laundering case, citing health reasons. The communication was sent via email and in person to the ED office in Srinagar, where he had been summoned for questioning.

The 86-year-old politician is under investigation by the ED regarding alleged irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) during the period of 2002-2012 when he served as the president, involving an amount of Rs 113 crore. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also conducting a parallel investigation into the JKCA scam, and the ED had filed a chargesheet in 2022.

Farooq Abdullah, who represents the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, was charge-sheeted by the ED in 2022. The case revolves around the misappropriation of funds from the JKCA, which were allegedly transferred to personal bank accounts of unrelated parties, including JKCA office bearers. Unexplained cash withdrawals from JKCA bank accounts are also part of the investigation.

The ED's case is built upon a 2018 charge-sheet filed by the CBI against the same accused. The summons had required Abdullah to appear at the ED office in Srinagar. In a related development, in April of the previous year, the investigating agency had questioned Farooq Abdullah's son, Omar, in connection with a Jammu and Kashmir bank fraud case.