The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jharkhand Rural Development Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam for questioning in a money laundering case on May 14, official sources said Sunday.
The federal agency had last week arrested Mr. Alam's personal secretary Sanjiv Lal and the latter's domestic help following the seizure of more than ₹32 crore cash from a flat linked to them.
Mr. Alam, 70, has been asked to depose at the zonal office of the ED in Ranchi on Tuesday for recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.
The money laundering investigation pertains to alleged irregularities in the State rural development department.
The total seizure of cash by the ED in the case has been recorded at around ₹36.75 crore as the agency seized about ₹3 crore from another location that included ₹10.05 lakh from Mr. Lal's place. ₹1.50 crore was also seized from a contractor's premises on Tuesday.
Mr. Alam has distanced himself from the activities of Mr. Lal. Talking to reporters, the Minister said Mr. Lal had earlier served with other Ministers of the State government too.
Earlier, in its remand papers submitted in court to seek the custody of Mr. Lal and Jahangir Alam for interrogation, the ED had said, "It is ascertained that Sanjeev Lal takes care of the collection of commission on behalf of some influential persons and plays a pivotal role in managing the tenders and collection of commission from engineers, also the said percentage of commission is distributed in a mechanised manner to higher-ups of the government."
